๐ธ Chord Finder
C Major
Choose a root note and a chord type (major, minor, seventh, and more) to see the notes that make up that chord. Handy for guitar or piano playing, composing, and learning music theory.
How to use
- Choose a root note.
- Choose a chord type (major, minor, seventh, etc.).
- The notes that make up the chord are shown automatically.
How the calculation works
Choose a root and a chord type to see the notes in the chord. It covers 12 types: triads (major, minor, diminished, augmented, sus2, sus4) and four-note chords (6ths and 7ths). Notes are spelled correctly for music theory. The 3rd is always the third letter name up from the root and the 5th the fifth letter name, so the same pitch can be written C# in one chord and Dโญ in another. The 3rd of Bโญ minor is Dโญ, not C#, and the 7th of C diminished 7th is Bโญโญ (double flat), not A. Roots can be chosen with either spelling, such as C# or Dโญ.
Worked example
C major โ C, E, G A minor โ A, C, E F#7 (dominant seventh) โ F#, A#, C#, E Bโญm7 (minor seventh) โ Bโญ, Dโญ, F, Aโญ Eโญmaj7 โ Eโญ, G, Bโญ, D C dim7 โ C, Eโญ, Gโญ, Bโญโญ
Things to be aware of
- On guitar and piano, chords are often played as inversions (the notes in a different order) or with notes left out.
- In chord symbols, โmโ means minor, โmaj7โ or โM7โ means major seventh, and a plain โ7โ means dominant seventh.
- The same notes can form different chords with a different root: C6 and Am7 share all four notes.
FAQ
What is a seventh chord?
A four-note chord formed by adding a 7th to the basic three-note triad. Major sevenths, minor sevenths and dominant sevenths each sound different depending on which 7th is added.
How are enharmonic notes (e.g. C# vs Dโญ) displayed?
Each note is spelled by its role in the chord (3rd, 5th or 7th), as in music theory. For example, the 3rd of Bโญ minor is Dโญ and the 3rd of A major is C#. Roots can be chosen as either C# or Dโญ.
Does the order of the chord tones mean anything?
The notes are shown in interval order from the root (root position). In actual playing, chords are often played in inversions (with the notes rearranged).