Chords

Sixteen chord types, and three of them will take you a long way. Major, minor and dominant seventh are the ones you meet first and most often. The other thirteen are one of those three with a note moved, added or taken away.

Start here

New to theory?

Start with What Is a Chord?. You count the steps and press the keys yourself.

Jump straight inPress the triangle to hear it, the name to read it

Triads

Major
Minor
Diminished
Augmented

Seventh chords

Major Seventh
Dominant Seventh
Minor Seventh
Diminished Seventh
Minor Major Seventh

Sixths, sus and power

Sixth
Minor Sixth
Sus2
Sus4
7sus4
Power

How chords are put together

Triads
Seventh Chords
Chord Symbols
Inversions
Voicings
Extensions and Alterations
Sus, Add and Power Chords
Slash Chords and Pedal Point
Polychords

Also in this section

Half-Diminished Seventh
What Is a Chord?

Triads

three notes, each a third above the last

Major TriadRoot, major third, fifth. Hear why those three notes lock together, see them on the keyboard, and play a major triad from any root.
Minor TriadLower the third by a half step and the whole chord changes mood. Hear major and minor swap live, then play a minor triad from any root.
Diminished TriadTwo stacked minor thirds leave a tritone between the outer notes. Hear where that tension wants to go, then play the chord from any root.
Augmented TriadStack two major thirds and the chord loses its footing. Hear why it sounds unsettled, hear it repeat every four half steps, and play it.

Seventh chords

a fourth note on top, for colour and direction

Major Seventh ChordThe major seventh sounds soft and unfinished, never pulling home like a dominant. Hear the difference, see every inversion, play it yourself.
Dominant Seventh ChordThe tritone inside a dominant seventh is what makes it lean home. Hear it resolve, hear it refuse to resolve, and play it in any key.
Minor Seventh ChordThe m7 sounds soft, open and in no hurry, which is why soul leans on it. Hear it against a plain minor triad and play it in any key.
Diminished Seventh ChordStack minor thirds and every note can act as the root. Hear one dim7 pivot into four keys, then play it from any note you start on.
Minor Major Seventh ChordOne note away from a minor seventh and it turns uneasy. Hear the swap, hear where harmonic minor puts it, and play it in any key.

Sixths, sus and power

what happens when you move the third or leave it out

Sixth ChordA major triad with a sixth on top settles without leaning anywhere. Hear it against maj7, hear it close a doo wop turn, and play it.
Minor Sixth ChordA minor chord with a major sixth on top sounds tense and warm at once. Hear it beside m7, find out where it comes from, and play it.
Sus2 ChordReplace the third with a second and the chord stops choosing a mood. Hear sus2 beside sus4 and a plain triad, then play it yourself.
Sus4 ChordSus4 holds a fourth where the third should be. Hear it drop into the triad, hear it stay put as a color, and play it in any key.
7sus4 ChordA dominant seventh with the third swapped for a fourth. Hear it hang instead of pull, compare it with a plain 7, and play it yourself.
Power ChordDrop the third and the chord stops being major or minor. Hear why that keeps distortion clean, then play a power chord from any root.

How chords are put together

TriadsA triad is three notes stacked in thirds. Hear all four flavors back to back, see why thirds stack the way they do, and play each one.
Seventh ChordsAdd a fourth third and the chord starts pointing somewhere. Hear the five common seventh chords next to each other and play any of them.
Chord SymbolsEvery chord symbol has four parts in a fixed order. Read one part at a time, then hear the chord you just decoded before you move on.
InversionsSame notes, different bottom note, different feeling. Hear a root position chord turn into a passing chord, then play every inversion.
VoicingsHow you spread the notes matters more than which notes they are. Hear close and open voicings of one chord, then rebuild it note by note.
Extensions and AlterationsThe 9, 11 and 13 color a chord without changing what it is. Hear each one arrive on top, find out which notes clash, and play the rest.
Sus, Add and Power ChordsReplace the third, add a note beside it, or drop it. Hear how each move changes the mood of the same chord, and play all four versions.
Slash Chords and Pedal PointThe note after the slash is the bass note, and it decides everything above it. Hear C, C/E and C/D in a row, then hold a pedal tone.
PolychordsStack a D triad over a C triad and you get a sound thirds alone never reach. Hear both halves apart, then together, and play the stack.

Also in this section

Half-Diminished Seventh ChordThe m7b5 is the chord that opens a minor two five one. Hear it beside a full diminished seventh, then play it from any root you pick.
What Is a Chord?A chord is notes sounding together. Count the half steps yourself, press the keys, and hear each one arrive. No notation knowledge needed to start.

Keep going

Scales
Harmony
Chord Progressions
Intervals

The other sections

Everything on this site sits in one of these, in the order they are meant to be learned.

The building blocks

Scales
Intervals
Rhythm
Reading Music

How music works

Harmony
Chord Progressions
Melody and Form
Sound and Hearing

In practice

Songwriting
Styles
Playing and Improvising
Production and Arranging