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Piano chords chart: every common chord on the keyboard

Choose a root and a chord type and see the chord highlighted on a keyboard, in root position and in each inversion, with its notes, its intervals and its sound. Twelve roots and fourteen chord types give 168 chords, each on its own page. Free, no account, nothing to install.

All 168 piano chords

major chord

C · C♯ · D · E♭ · E · F · F♯ · G · A♭ · A · B♭ · B

minor chord

Cm · C♯m · Dm · E♭m · Em · Fm · F♯m · Gm · A♭m · Am · B♭m · Bm

dominant 7th chord

C7 · C♯7 · D7 · E♭7 · E7 · F7 · F♯7 · G7 · A♭7 · A7 · B♭7 · B7

major 6th chord

C6 · C♯6 · D6 · E♭6 · E6 · F6 · F♯6 · G6 · A♭6 · A6 · B♭6 · B6

minor 6th chord

Cm6 · C♯m6 · Dm6 · E♭m6 · Em6 · Fm6 · F♯m6 · Gm6 · A♭m6 · Am6 · B♭m6 · Bm6

dominant 9th chord

C9 · C♯9 · D9 · E♭9 · E9 · F9 · F♯9 · G9 · A♭9 · A9 · B♭9 · B9

half-diminished chord

Cm7♭5 · C♯m7♭5 · Dm7♭5 · E♭m7♭5 · Em7♭5 · Fm7♭5 · F♯m7♭5 · Gm7♭5 · A♭m7♭5 · Am7♭5 · B♭m7♭5 · Bm7♭5

What each piano chord page shows

Every chord page gives you the same four things, so you can move through the chart quickly:

The keyboard diagram in root position, then in its inversions (a three-note chord has two, a four-note chord three).
The notes, spelled correctly for the key (C minor is C, E♭, G, not C, D#, G).
The intervals from the root, so you see why the chord sounds the way it does.
The sound, to train your ear while you look.

The roots are C, C#, D, E♭, E, F, F#, G, A♭, A, B♭ and B; the types are major, minor, 7, maj7, m7, dim, aug, sus2, sus4, 6, m6, 9, add9 and m7♭5. A good first page is C major, all white keys.

Build any chord by counting half steps

On a keyboard every key, black or white, is one semitone from its neighbour. That makes the piano the clearest instrument for building chords: count up from the root.

Type	Half steps from root	In C
major	0, 4, 7	C E G
minor	0, 3, 7	C E♭ G
dim	0, 3, 6	C E♭ G♭
aug	0, 4, 8	C E G♯
sus2 / sus4	0, 2, 7 / 0, 5, 7	C D G / C F G
6 / m6	0, 4, 7, 9 / 0, 3, 7, 9	C E G A / C E♭ G A
7	0, 4, 7, 10	C E G B♭
maj7	0, 4, 7, 11	C E G B
m7	0, 3, 7, 10	C E♭ G B♭
m7♭5	0, 3, 6, 10	C E♭ G♭ B♭
add9	0, 4, 7, 14	C E G D
9	0, 4, 7, 10, 14	C E G B♭ D

The only difference between major and minor is the middle note: a major third (4 half steps) or a minor third (3). Move that one finger down a key and C becomes Cm. The 9 is just the 2 an octave higher, which is why add9 and sus2 look alike but sound different: add9 keeps the third.

Inversions: why they matter and how to finger them

An inversion keeps the same notes but changes which one is at the bottom. For C major:

Root position C E G: right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1.
First inversion E G C: right hand 1-2-5, left hand 5-3-1.
Second inversion G C E: right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1.

Inversions are what make chord changes smooth. Play C (C E G), then F in second inversion (C F A), then G in first inversion (B D G), then C again. Your hand barely moves, each voice steps to the nearest note: that is voice leading, and it is how pianists accompany songs without jumping around. This C, F, G, C sequence is a I-IV-V-I, explained in our guide to Roman numeral progressions.

For a four-note chord such as A minor seven (A C E G), you get three inversions. Try the third inversion, G A C E: the seventh in the bass gives a softer, unresolved colour.

Spotting chord shapes by black and white keys

Major triads fall into a few visual families, which helps you find them without counting:

All white: C, F and G major.
Black key in the middle: D, E and A major (F#, G#, C#).
White in the middle, black outside: D♭, E♭ and A♭ major.
All black: F# major (F#, A#, C#).
B major is the odd one: white root, two black keys above (B, D#, F#). B♭ major is black, white, white (B♭, D, F).

For minor triads, Dm, Em and Am are all white, while Cm, Fm and Gm put a black key in the middle. Practise each family on the online piano, saying the chord name aloud.

Going further in the free workshop

If you also play guitar, the same chords are on the guitar chord charts. With a free account, the GuitarHarmony workshop takes inversions further on the neck: the triads tool shows major, minor, diminished and augmented triads in every inversion across string sets (some string sets are free, all of them with Premium). Thinking in inversions on both instruments is the fastest way to understand harmony rather than memorise shapes.

How to use it

Pick a root. Choose one of the twelve roots, from C to B, with C#, E♭, F#, A♭ and B♭ for the black keys.
Pick a chord type. Major, minor, sevenths, sixths, ninths, sus, diminished, augmented or half-diminished: the chord page opens.
Read root position, then inversions. Play the root position, then each inversion. Notice which note is at the bottom and how the sound changes.
Listen and repeat. Play the sound, then play the chord yourself and compare. Say the notes aloud as you press them.

What you can do with it

Accompanying a song

The chart says Am, F, C, G. Find each chord, then pick inversions so your right hand stays around middle C: A C E, A C F, G C E, G B D. Four chords, almost no movement.

Guitarists learning keyboard harmony

On guitar, a Cmaj7 shape hides its notes. On a keyboard you see C, E, G and B side by side and understand why it sounds the way it does.

Checking a chord you wrote

You wrote an E♭ G B♭ D chord and are not sure of its name. Compare with the E♭maj7 page: same notes, same name.

Frequently asked questions

How many piano chords are in the chart?

168: twelve roots times fourteen chord types. Every chord has its own page with root position, inversions, notes, intervals and sound.

What is a chord inversion on the piano?

The same notes with a different note at the bottom. C E G is root position, E G C is first inversion, G C E is second inversion. Four-note chords have a third inversion with the seventh in the bass.

Which fingers should I use for piano chords?

For triads in root position, right hand 1-3-5 (thumb, middle, little finger) and left hand 5-3-1. First inversion is usually 1-2-5 in the right hand; second inversion goes back to 1-3-5.

What is the difference between Cadd9 and Csus2?

Csus2 (C D G) replaces the third with the second. Cadd9 (C E G D) keeps the third and adds the ninth above. Cadd9 still sounds major; Csus2 sounds open and undecided.

Is the piano chord chart free?

Yes. It is on the public site, free for everyone, with no account and no limit.

More free tools

Ready to go further than the chart?

The free GuitarHarmony workshop shows every scale on the whole neck, names any chord you play and builds progressions with you. Free account, no card.

Try it free