Full Piano Chord Chart
Every common chord type in all keys · tap to light the keys & hear it
How to play
- Tap a chord to highlight the keys you press and hear the chord.
- The key with the white ring is the root (the note the chord is named after). The other highlighted keys are the rest of the chord.
- A major chord is root + 4 + 7 semitones; a minor chord flattens the middle note; a 7 chord adds one more note on top.
- Tap any key to hear that single note. Play repeats the current chord. Vol sets volume.
- Keyboard — Tab to a chord, key or control, Enter/Space to activate. Scroll the keys sideways on small screens.
You have a full piano chord chart at your fingertips. See what chords look like on the piano, hear them played back to you and learn how to finger them.
It’s simple to interact with: Play with just one click of your mouse, or if you prefer to work quick, play straight from your keyboard. Every popular chord type exist in all keys on the interface making it simple to compare progressions and shapes side by side. No need to turn pages of sheet music.
How to Use the Piano Chord Chart
It begins with the array of buttons located just under the top of widget. These is each a different chord, for example, C major or Am7. When you click on one of them, the appropriate keys on virtual piano underneath will light up and play sound of the chord. The name of the chord you have chosen will appear in big letters above the keyboard, along with a breakdown of all single notes it is made from. All this visual information give you an instant way to link the name of a chord (which can be quite abstract) to how it looks on the instrument.
A selection of black and white keys are displayed as they would be on a regular piano with matching pitch ranges. The key that make up the current chord will be illuminated to indicate what keys you should of playing on an actual piano keyboard. A bright white circle surrounding the root of the chord help you find your way back to the right note.
If you want to play a scale in-between chords or just test the purity of each tone individually, simply click on any one of the keys and you’ll hear that note alone.
Just below the chord grid are navigation and playback buttons. Pressing the Play button will play back current selected (highlighted) chord from the list. It’s nice if you’re playing around with different harmonies and wish to hear one again without having to hold it down on your screen. There’s also a volume slider that allows you to control how loud the sound plays back according to what you want.
The Fullscreen button will open the widget full-screen across your whole browser window which might give you a better look at keys, depending on what you’re doing.
The widget also works with standard keyboard navigation for those who like to do things that way. Tab key on your computer will let you move between keys and chord buttons. Just press Enter or Space once an element is selected, which is like clicking something with your mouse. That means you can scroll around chords quickly without having to lift your hand off the keyboard.
It’s also accessible to screen readers, who will read out the label of each key and button for you. If you want a little reminder about any aspect of chords (such as how they are built), there is a handy little help box too. Clicking the Help icon at top-right of the screen opens and closes the help panel. Here you will find some explanations of how to use keys. You will also find some other short instructions on keyboard shortcuts and a few words on major/minor intervals. The nice thing about this feature is that you don’t have to close down and then reopen window to refresh yourself on something basic like instructions.
If you click through different families of chords it’s worth practicing through them in sequence to really get the most from this chart. Compare C major to C minor; you’ll notice how one flattened note transform the mood. Try adding a seventh chord and hear what extra tension they adds to a progression. It’s also useful if you want to watch how the highlighted keys moves around when you alter your inversion or key.
You can also use this visual guide to memorise common song finger patterns. This makes it an interactive tool that encourages hands-on learning rather than a book of chords to passively read through. You can hear and see the chords as they happens in real-time. It is an experience that uses many senses to strengthen recall and helps you become familiar with keyboard location more quick than a list of static images.
Leave the widget on display while you play your instrument so that you can check your fingerings or try out some new progressions. Now you’ve got a complete harmony reference guide in your own web browser. Spend some time clicking around the various chords and keys and see what connections you can make between them all. This chart will answer questions instantly if you’re studying music, getting ready for a performance, or simply intrigued by sounds. Use it for inspiration. Click the buttons and follow the visual prompts into new musical territory.