Chord identifier
Click notes on the piano, or play them on a MIDI keyboard, and this page names the chord: its symbol, its notes, the interval of each one from the root, and the inversion. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Swipe the keys sideways to reach the rest.
Name a chord
- You: Click each note of the chord on the piano. Click a note again to take it out.
- The page: Names the chord from the notes that are on, lowest note first, and plays each note as you add it.
- Check: C, E and G together read C.
The order you click in does not matter: the page reads the notes from the lowest up.
Play it on a MIDI keyboard
- Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
- Press Listen to MIDI and allow MIDI.
- Play a chord and let go.
- Read the name, which stays on screen until you play the next chord.
Any octave works, and notes outside the piano on screen are still counted. The name holds after you let go, so you can look up from the keys and read it. If the page hears nothing, the MIDI tester shows whether the browser sees the keyboard.
Read the answer
- The symbol. The root, then the chord type: Cm7 is a C minor seventh.
- A slash. The note after the slash is the lowest note when it is not the root. C/E is C major with E at the bottom.
- The inversion. Root position has the root at the bottom. First inversion has the third there, and second inversion the fifth.
- Also. Other chords made of the same notes, for when the bass player, or the next chord, makes one of them the better name.
The lowest note decides between two names for the same notes.
Chord formulas
Each chord type is a fixed pattern of semitones above its root. These are the patterns the page knows, shown on C.
| Chord | Symbol on C | Semitones above the root | Notes on C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | C | 0, 4, 7 | C, E, G |
| Minor | Cm | 0, 3, 7 | C, Eb, G |
| Dominant seventh | C7 | 0, 4, 7, 10 | C, E, G, Bb |
| Major seventh | Cmaj7 | 0, 4, 7, 11 | C, E, G, B |
| Minor seventh | Cm7 | 0, 3, 7, 10 | C, Eb, G, Bb |
| Diminished | Cdim | 0, 3, 6 | C, Eb, F# |
| Augmented | Caug | 0, 4, 8 | C, E, Ab |
| Suspended fourth | Csus4 | 0, 5, 7 | C, F, G |
| Suspended second | Csus2 | 0, 2, 7 | C, D, G |
| Major sixth | C6 | 0, 4, 7, 9 | C, E, G, A |
| Minor sixth | Cm6 | 0, 3, 7, 9 | C, Eb, G, A |
| Diminished seventh | Cdim7 | 0, 3, 6, 9 | C, Eb, F#, A |
| Half-diminished | Cm7b5 | 0, 3, 6, 10 | C, Eb, F#, Bb |
| Minor major seventh | Cm(maj7) | 0, 3, 7, 11 | C, Eb, G, B |
| Seventh suspended fourth | C7sus4 | 0, 5, 7, 10 | C, F, G, Bb |
| Added ninth | Cadd9 | 0, 2, 4, 7 | C, D, E, G |
| Minor added ninth | Cm(add9) | 0, 2, 3, 7 | C, D, Eb, G |
| Dominant ninth | C9 | 0, 2, 4, 7, 10 | C, D, E, G, Bb |
| Major ninth | Cmaj9 | 0, 2, 4, 7, 11 | C, D, E, G, B |
| Minor ninth | Cm9 | 0, 2, 3, 7, 10 | C, D, Eb, G, Bb |
| Six nine | C6/9 | 0, 2, 4, 7, 9 | C, D, E, G, A |
| Seventh flat nine | C7b9 | 0, 1, 4, 7, 10 | C, Db, E, G, Bb |
| Seventh sharp nine | C7#9 | 0, 3, 4, 7, 10 | C, Eb, E, G, Bb |
| Augmented seventh | C7#5 | 0, 4, 8, 10 | C, E, Ab, Bb |
| Seventh flat five | C7b5 | 0, 4, 6, 10 | C, E, F#, Bb |
| Eleventh | C11 | 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10 | C, D, E, F, G, Bb |
| Minor eleventh | Cm11 | 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 | C, D, Eb, F, G, Bb |
| Thirteenth | C13 | 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10 | C, D, E, G, A, Bb |
| Major seventh, no fifth | Cmaj7(no5) | 0, 4, 11 | C, E, B |
| Seventh, no fifth | C7(no5) | 0, 4, 10 | C, E, Bb |
| Minor seventh, no fifth | Cm7(no5) | 0, 3, 10 | C, Eb, Bb |
| Power chord | C5 | 0, 7 | C, G |
Move every number up by the same amount and the same chord type starts on another root. The MIDI note numbers chart shows which number is which note.
Know what it cannot tell
- Sharps or flats. The page writes the black keys one way: Db, Eb, F#, Ab and Bb. In a sharp key, read Db as C# and so on.
- The key of the song. A chord's best name can depend on what comes before and after it.
- Audio. It reads notes, not sound. It does not listen through the microphone.
The page names what you play, and the song decides what to call it.
Put a chord on one button
Once a chord has a name, it can have a button. InputConfig, the free Mac app I make, sends MIDI notes from a game controller, and a row can send more than one output, so one button can play every note of a chord into a music app. One row with three notes in it is a three-note chord. Gamepad to MIDI on a Mac has the setup.
Questions
How do I find the name of a chord from its notes?
Click the notes on the piano above, or play them on a MIDI keyboard. The page names the chord, lists its intervals and says which inversion it is.
What chord is C, E and G?
C major. C is the root, E is a major third above it and G is a perfect fifth above it.
Can it identify chords from a MIDI keyboard?
Yes, in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Press Listen to MIDI, allow MIDI, and play a chord. The name stays on screen after you let go.
What is a slash chord?
A chord with a note other than its root at the bottom. C/E is a C major chord with E as the lowest note, which is also its first inversion.
Why does one set of notes have two names?
Some chords share their notes. C, E, G and A is C6, and it is also A minor seventh. The lowest note usually decides, and the page shows the other reading too.
Does it listen to audio?
No. It reads notes you click or play over MIDI. It does not use the microphone.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.
Updated