Piano Chords Chart
A chord chart tells you which notes make each chord. Pick a root and a chord type below to see it on the keyboard, hear it and get the guitar and ukulele shapes, or jump to any chord from the table. C major is C-E-G; C minor changes only E to E flat.
- Twelve roots
- Major and minor notes
- Chord symbols explained
keep practicing
Pick a root you do not know, find its major and minor notes in the chart, and play the two versions at the same volume.
Find any chord
Every chord on one page
Each cell opens that chord, with the notes, every inversion and the guitar and ukulele shapes. Each column heading opens the chord type itself.
- 7sus4 Chord
- Arpeggios
- Basic Piano Chords
- Chord Symbols
- Diminished Seventh Chord
- Extensions and Alterations
- Half-Diminished Seventh Chord
- Chord Inversions
- Minor-Major Seventh Chord
- Minor Sixth Chord
- Polychords
- Power Chord
- Seventh Chords
- Slash Chords and Pedal Point
- Sus, Add and Power Chords
- Triads
- Chord Voicings
- What Is a Chord?
How do you read the notes in a piano chord chart?
The letter before a chord symbol names its root. A plain C means C major; Cm means C minor. Each cell below lists the chord's notes from root upward. On a piano, a sharp raises a note by one key and a flat lowers it by one key.
The note names follow musical spelling, not just the color of a piano key. C sharp major includes E sharp, played on the key most beginners call F. A flat minor includes C flat, played on the key also called B. Those names show how each chord is built in thirds. They help when you read music or transpose a pattern.
Which notes make every major and minor triad?
| Root | Major chord | Minor chord |
|---|---|---|
| C | C-E-G | C-E flat-G |
| C sharp | C sharp-E sharp-G sharp | C sharp-E-G sharp |
| D | D-F sharp-A | D-F-A |
| E flat | E flat-G-B flat | E flat-G flat-B flat |
| E | E-G sharp-B | E-G-B |
| F | F-A-C | F-A flat-C |
| F sharp | F sharp-A sharp-C sharp | F sharp-A-C sharp |
| G | G-B-D | G-B flat-D |
| A flat | A flat-C-E flat | A flat-C flat-E flat |
| A | A-C sharp-E | A-C-E |
| B flat | B flat-D-F | B flat-D flat-F |
| B | B-D sharp-F sharp | B-D-F sharp |
Start with C, F and G if you are new to the keyboard. They are the first practical set in Basic Piano Chords. The other rows are references for when a chord symbol turns up in a piece you are playing.
What do the numbers and extra letters mean?
The next table keeps C as the root, so you can see which note each symbol changes or adds. The notes are spelled as chord tones. Their octave and order can change when a player chooses a voicing.
| Symbol | Notes on C | What changed? |
|---|---|---|
| Cdim | C-E flat-G flat | Minor third and lowered fifth |
| Caug | C-E-G sharp | Raised fifth |
| Csus2 | C-D-G | Second replaces the third |
| Csus4 | C-F-G | Fourth replaces the third |
| C5 | C-G | Root and fifth, sometimes doubled by an octave |
| C6 | C-E-G-A | Sixth added to major |
| Cm6 | C-E flat-G-A | Sixth added to minor |
| C7 | C-E-G-B flat | Minor seventh added to major |
| Cmaj7 | C-E-G-B | Major seventh added to major |
| Cm7 | C-E flat-G-B flat | Minor seventh added to minor |
| Cm(maj7) | C-E flat-G-B | Major seventh added to minor |
| Cm7b5 | C-E flat-G flat-B flat | Lowered fifth in a minor seventh |
| Cdim7 | C-E flat-G flat-B double flat | Diminished seventh; B double flat shares a piano key with A |
| C7sus4 | C-F-G-B flat | Fourth replaces the third in C7 |
| Cadd9 | C-E-G-D | Ninth added without a seventh |
| C9 | C-E-G-B flat-D | Ninth added to C7 |
For any other root, use the linked family guide to learn its interval pattern, then choose that root on the piano. A ninth chord has a seventh; an add9 chord does not. Chord Symbols explains the reading system in more detail.
How do you use the chart while learning a song?
Read one chord symbol at a time. Find its notes in the chart, play them together and check whether the sound fits the chord at that moment. Then move to the next symbol. If the bass note is written after a slash, as in C/E, put E below the other C-chord notes.
You do not need to memorize the full chart before playing. After a few songs, look for repeated changes: C to F, G to C, or Am to F. The pattern of movement will become familiar faster than a long alphabetical list.
Try reading three symbols
- Find CUse the first row and play C-E-G.
- Find CmKeep C and G, then lower E to E flat. Name the note that moved.
- Find Cadd9Return to C-E-G and add D. Check that the symbol does not ask for B flat.
Everything in chords
- Add9 Chord
- Arpeggios
- Basic Piano Chords
- Piano Chords Chart
- Ninth Chord