Chords
Piano chord chart
A major chord takes a root note, the note four semitones above it and the note three above that. A minor chord lowers the middle note by one semitone. Every common chord is listed below with its notes and fingering, and each links to a page where you can see the shape on a keyboard and hear it played.
Click any key to hear it. Your computer's A to K row works too.
How do I read a chord chart?
Each chord is named by its root note and its type, so C major means a chord built on C using the major pattern. The notes listed are what you play, from the bottom up. Fingering for a three note chord in the right hand is almost always 1, 3 and 5, which is thumb, middle finger and little finger.
Which chords appear most often?
In beginner music, C major, G major, F major, A minor, D minor and E minor cover the overwhelming majority. If you learn those six and how to move between them smoothly, very little popular music will be out of reach harmonically.
Why do some chords have black keys?
Because the pattern of four semitones and three semitones does not care whether the keys are white or black. Building a major chord on D gives you F sharp in the middle, because that is where four semitones up from D lands. The shape stays the same; the colours change.
What is a seventh chord?
A three note chord with a fourth note added on top, which gives it a richer and slightly unresolved sound. Dominant sevenths in particular pull strongly towards the next chord, which is why they turn up at the end of almost every phrase in blues and popular music.
Keep going
Read next
Major and minor chords explained, which fingers to use, and the four chords that cover mos Open → ♪ Piano keyboard layout, explained
A piano has 88 keys, 52 white and 36 black, repeating one pattern of twelve. Find any note Open → ♪ Where is middle C on the piano?
Middle C is the white key just left of any pair of black keys, nearest the centre. Here is Open → ♪ Black keys on the piano
The 36 black keys are the sharps and flats. What they are, why they come in twos and three Open →
Put it into practice in the practice room, or start at the beginning with the five minute walkthrough.
Questions
Common questions
What notes are in a C major chord?
C, E and G, played with the thumb, middle finger and little finger.
What is the difference between C major and C minor?
One note. C major is C, E, G. C minor is C, E flat, G, with the middle note a semitone lower.
Which chords should a beginner memorise?
C major, G major, F major and A minor first. Those four carry an enormous amount of music.