Piano chord viewer
Spell any piano chord. See it on the keyboard, hear it, and explore inversions.
Look up any piano chord by root and quality. See its notes, intervals, and inversions on a piano keyboard.
Root
Quality
Inversion
C MajorC · E · G
| Degree | Interval | Note | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| R | Root | C | The fundamental tone — defines the key of the chord |
| 3 | Major 3rd | E | Creates the bright, "happy" quality (+4 semitones) |
| 5 | Perfect 5th | G | Adds fullness and stability (+7 semitones) |
Major chords sound bright and resolved. They are the I chord in major keys and the IV and V in many progressions. The major 3rd is what separates them from minor chords.
How to use
- Pick a root (any of the twelve chromatic pitches) and a chord type (major, minor, 7, maj7, m7, sus, dim, aug, and more).
- The page spells the chord and shows the notes highlighted on a piano keyboard with degree colours and labels (Root, 3, 5, 7).
- The Inversion tabs rotate the lowest note: 1st inversion puts the 3rd on the bottom, 2nd inversion the 5th, and so on. Each inversion sounds different even though the notes are the same.
- Switch between 2 octaves (compact, snaps around the chord) and Full (88-key piano scrolled to the root).
Tips
- Inversions are voice-leading. Picking the inversion whose lowest note is closest to the previous chord's bass produces the smoothest progression — the basis of how pianists comp chord charts.
- Hear the chord, then hear the bass. Play the chord shape first, then play just the bottom note alone. That separation is how your ear starts hearing inversions as distinct events.
- The same chord on the fretboard is at the guitar chord finder. For scale context, open the piano scale explorer.
BUILD ON THIS CHORD
Turn voicings into piano phrases.
Pick any chord here, then sign up free to generate piano phrases over it.