Chord Progression Chart Piano

Hit the Play button to play through the full progression from one end to the other, or select any of the chord cards in the chart with the mouse to begin. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a more hands-free experience, you can use your computer’s keyboard to trigger sounds and move around all of the controls. Selecting a well-known progression and key allow you to choose chords you’d like to hear, and the widget presents them in correct context so it turns music theory into something you can play.

The first thing you do is choose your key from the line of buttons at the top. That sets root note and scale position for each chord on the chart. Tap another key and immediately the chord names adjusts to match the chosen key. There are major keys (C, D, G) and there are flat keys (Eb, Bb). The ones you select change the actual notes that sound when you tap the chords beneath.

How to Use the Chord Chart Tool

From here you select a progression from the list in the middle section. This list shows some common progressions used across classical, jazz, rock and pop music. Each time you click on an entry it’s highlighted in a purple border confirming which entry has been selected. Instantly the chart refreshes showing you what chord names and Roman numerals applies to this selection. Descriptions of each style are also displayed to give you musical context before playing them through.

Each card represents one chord in the selected progression. Each card shows three elements to help you learn about harmony. First is the number or numeral representing scale degree (I, vi). Next is actual name of the chord (C major, Am7). Finally, the tiniest text is label indicating the chord’s harmonic function within the phrase. This shows if it is dominant, sub-dominant, or tonic.

Depending on what you want to learn from these chords, there are a couple of ways you’ll be able to hear them. Each chord has its own card which you can play by clicking on it. It will light up the card but also play just that one chord straight away. If you want to isolate certain harmonies from the progression or practise the transition between them, this works well.

To run through the whole thing automatically, hit the Play button down below. The widget will highlight the next chord as it sounds so you stay in time with the playing. On the lower right, there’s a volume slider for controlling the volume of audio being played. Good for when you’re working and want it quieter, or maybe you just want to play along with some other music that you have playing.

Up near the top, you’ll find a button that switches Fullscreen mode on and off. In this mode, the widget will expand to fill your screen so you’ve got a bit more room to view all the chord cards and nothing else gets in the way. To see how this all works, click on the How to play button if you are unsure or need help. This will slide down a help panel that gives you a clear run-down of what’s available in the interface and how it works. It covers everything from explanations about musical symbols in the chart to some tips for navigating around using keyboard. When you feel like getting back to playing, simply click same button again to hide the help panel.

The interface also works well for people who want to use their keyboard instead of a mouse: Just tab through the controls (chord cards, sliders and buttons), then press Space/Enter to engage them. You can select a progression, choose keys, play an individual chord and more, all while keeping the mouse away. Whether you type or point, this should leave widget easy to get to.

This is a great tool for learning. Experiment with playing the progression in other keys. You will discover that although the harmonies are close in each key, the mood is not identical (try A minor compared to C major). Listen carefully to where the dominant chord sits in relation to others and hear how it builds tension towards resolution into the tonic chord. It’s far more effective then staring at chart after chart as it supports your understanding of music theory through sound.

If you’d like a further challenge, then listen out for the addition of sevenths in any of the jazz-style progressions above too. The m7, dom7 and maj7 suffixes all enrichen the sound as they are added. Listen slow initially so that you can pick out extra notes over the simple triads. Then see if you can play along yourself either on a keyboard or your own piano.

These are some common progressions to be familiar with. Work through each area until you are comfortabley with how it works. It’s not like there is only one correct way to engage with the chart. Feel free to click around from progression to progression and key to key, just as you wish. Just connect the music theory terms you have heard about to how they look on the page and sound in a key you know.

Hit Play or start clicking now to breathe some life into these musical structures.