Piano Chord Chart For Beginners

For new players starting out in learning the piano, this interactive piano chord chart is an easy way to see and hear what the basic chords are. These chords are building blocks of music.

There are two simple ways to use the widget. You can click directly on it using your mouse or trackpad, or you can use your computer keyboard if you want something more tactile. The instant response allows you to concentrate on learning the sounds instead of how to navigate complicated menus.

How to Use the Interactive Piano Chart

The big grid of buttons up top are chord themselves. Simply click a button to choose a chord. The widget then displays the note names and highlights them instantly on piano keyboard below. The white ring around a key means it’s the root note; that’s the note the chord is named after. The rest of the highlighted notes indicate the other notes required to make the full chord.

The interactive piano keyboard stretches across multiple octaves below the chord grid allowing you to locate where the chords falls on the instrument. By clicking on an individual black or white key, you will be able to listen to just that note alone. This makes it clear how that note contribute to the entire sound of the chord. On a real piano, the fingerings for each chord is indicated with highlighted keys.

You can listen to the chosen chord at any time by clicking on the play button. You don’t need to touch the grid again. This way you can compare how different chords sound side by side.

The volume control can be found in the top right-hand corner. If you want to practice quietly keep it down; otherwise, crank it up and let that baby ring.

This is a nice touch if you’ve forgotten how it all operates and need to go back and check the widget’s quick start guide. Just press the help button to make this little panel pop up:

This is the fullscreen button. When pressed, the chart fills out your whole screen. This provides more space for viewing the keys, which is particularly useful when working in a split screen or from a smaller device.

Playing feels natural with your computer keyboard. Pressing each note is easy; just tab from chord button to chord button and hit enter for selection. Then focus on piano keys and use the arrow keys to jump between notes. This accessibility feature means you don’t need a mouse at all if you don’t want to and makes it possible for you to play around with the instrument. It also recreates the physical layout of a digital controller.

On the grid, click on the first button that says C major. On the keyboard, you’ll notice that three white keys is lit up. If you press play, you should hear the bright sound of this chord. Right beside that, try clicking on Cm. The instant difference is clear as one key changes and the mood change too. By contrasting these two chords, you’re training your ear to pick out the quality of major or minor.

Try the seven chords out on the chart. Listen for what sounds different about each one as you play it separately. Play the C, G, Am progression. You will hear these progressions in lots of rock and pop songs. By playing them together, you start to get an idea of where chords comes from for harmony and melody.

Use the volume slider to find a point where the sound level is comfortable for practice. Is it too loud? Turn it down just a smidge. Is it too quiet to even notice it is playing? Turn it up until it sounds nice and balanced but not overwhelming your ears. This will help keep your ears from getting tired when you spend extra time studying.

For a closer look at the keyboard, you might prefer to use the fullscreen option as it removes all distraction from other information on the web page and keeps your attention focused solely on the instrument. The keys appear in a much bigger form making them simpler to hit accurately too. Listening while following your eye around the chords can be a great exercise in this mode.

The trick to remember is that the chord is built around the root note. If you are looking at a piano keyboard, then look out for the key with the white ring, which shows you the root note. This allows you to see your finger position and makes transposing chords as you progress in the more detailed theory much easier.

Each of the chord types above is worth taking some time out to explore. You will hear how major chords sounds bright. Minor chords sound serious. The addition of seventh chords brings an extra twist of color that you often hear in blues and jazz music. These details form part of growth of your musical vocabulary with time if you listen carefully to them.

To further this point, it is possible to pick out individual keys on the piano to only play that particular note. This isolates each note in a chord so you know what notes make up each chord structure. Why not try just playing the root note first and then add the remaining notes individually. Listen to the effect that each new note has on the sound.

Keep this widget open while you practice on a real or digital piano. If you aren’t sure which notes make up a chord, refer back to this until they are part of your muscle memory. This will help connect theory with action and strengthen the visual pattern in your mind’s eye too.

It’s easy to use and the interface has been created with that in mind. There are no complex technical requirements. Simply click, listen and then repeat the process as many times as necessary until you’re familiar with the patterns. Hopefully, it makes learning chords accessible for all.

Firstly, select any chord from the grid below and start playing. Hear what it sounds like. Be free to experiment and don’t worry if you make mistakes! That’s all part of the learning experience and this tool is here for you on your journey towards being able to play piano. Explore, discover and enjoy the music a single chord at a time.