Piano Chord Finger Chart
Which finger plays which key · 12 roots × 9 chord types · right hand or left · tap to see & hear
How to play
- Pick a root and a chord type, and the keyboard lights the keys with a numbered circle on each one telling you which finger plays it. Fingers are numbered 1 = thumb through 5 = little finger, on both hands.
- Root-position chords are wonderfully regular. A three-note chord is 1–3–5 in the right hand and 5–3–1 in the left — thumb on the lowest note going up, little finger on the lowest note going down. A four-note seventh chord adds the spare finger: 1–2–3–5 right, 5–3–2–1 left.
- Use the Hand switch to flip between them. The keys never change — only the numbers do — because the two hands mirror each other.
- Keep a rounded, relaxed hand with the knuckles up, and press with the finger tips. If a chord feels like a stretch, you are probably reaching from a flat hand rather than moving your whole arm to the chord.
- 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.
The widget is basicly a kind of piano chord finger chart showing you what fingers to play each chord with. You can activate sounds by pressing button on screen. If you are using a computer keyboard, you can also use it to move around the widget and trigger sound. It illustrates how to position your hands for both left and right hand when playing common chords.
To begin with, choose a chord from central section of buttons (the ‘grid’) of the widget. These is each a root note and a type of chord quality like A minor seventh or C major. Click one of them and matching keys will light up on piano keyboard underneath. Most importantly, the chord will play through your speakers so you can hear it straight away.
How to Use the Piano Chord Widget
In this way you can look at highlighted keys on the piano roll to find out which finger to play them with. The numbers on active keys are in white circles that relates to normal finger counting from the thumb (one) through to little finger (five). You will also notice another circle around keyboard ring that highlights root note, which give the chord its name. The remaining highlighted keys forms the rest of the chord structure.
At the top there is a Hand switch that enables you to move from playing in the right-hand position through to left-hand position. You will notice that actual physical keys of piano stay exactly the same. However, the number of finger next to each key changes. This gives you a quick visual way to see how other hand plays the same chord shape. It’s quite simple as both hands mirror the pattern and can be compared side-by-side.
Next up is the Play chord button which play whatever chord you have selected. This is handy if you want to hear it again without having to click back on the grid. There is also a slider next to the play button that let you control the master volume. This keeps the sound at a comfortabley listening level whether you’re playing through speakers or headphones.
Alternatively, it’s possible to play piano keyboard by tapping a specific key so that you can listen to one note at a time. While they’re pressed the keys will show their name and you’ll be able to see which notes makes up the chord. That supports how the visual arrangement relates to the sounds played and is useful if you want to double check your grasp of the chord’s structure.
The widget will also expand to take up the entire screen if you require more room; just click the Fullscreen button to achieve this. This gives you a bigger view of keyboard. On smaller devices, it also makes the finger numbers easier to see. Clicking the same button again returns you to the normal view and the layout will adjust accordingly so that controls stay available.
To read all about it, expand the How to play panel for a summary of the finger patterns and an explanation of how they’re numbered. It details both seventh chords and triads with thumb and little finger anchoring the shape. If you’d like to know more about theory behind the visual aids, refer to this section.
The great thing about this is that it helps you practice consistent hand positioning so try practicing some regular chord changes using this as well as moving from major to minor chords where you can see that pattern of fingers doesn’t change more than too much at all. Then have a go on each hand and get familiar with common progressions. You’ll soon be able to feel which way they should of fall under your fingers once you use the visual feedback to build muscle memory and internalize the fingering.
Hit play to repeat the sound of your selected chord, which will have its finger numbers displayed on screen. Hit the switch for left-hand fingering and note the inverted pattern. Tweak the volume down a click or two so it’s not too loud. If you want more clarity, use the fullscreen option; it’s built to get your chords fingers flying fast and correcty.