Piano chords
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store.
Pick a root note and a chord type. You'll see which keys to press, hear the chord, and you can step through its inversions.
How chords are built
- Major. Root, then four half steps up, then three more. C E G.
- Minor. Root, then three half steps, then four. C Eb G.
- Seventh chords. A major or minor chord with one more note on top, the seventh.
The formula line shows each note's place counted from the root, so 1 b3 5 means the root, a lowered third and a fifth. Learn a chord's formula once and you can build it from any key.
Practice ideas
Play each chord in all its inversions with one hand, then move between two chords using the inversion that keeps your hand closest. The circle of fifths shows which chords belong to a key, the chord identifier names a chord from the notes you press, and the online piano lets you play from your computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard.
How this fits with InputConfig
These pages are for practice in the browser. InputConfig adds the Mac side: a MIDI keyboard or pad can press shortcuts and turn pages, and a game controller can play MIDI notes and CC into GarageBand or Logic Pro.
Play a game controller as a MIDI instrument shows it step by step. InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store.
More music practice
Questions
How do I play a C major chord on piano?
Press C, E and G together. That is the root, the major third and the fifth. Pick any other root above to see its major chord on the keys.
What is the difference between major and minor chords?
A minor chord lowers the middle note, the third, by one half step. C major is C E G, and C minor is C Eb G.
What is a chord inversion?
The same notes with a different one at the bottom. C E G is root position, E G C is the first inversion and G C E is the second. Inversions let your hand move less between chords.
What does a 7 chord mean?
It adds a fourth note, the seventh. A dominant 7, written C7, adds the flat seventh, Bb. A major 7, written Cmaj7, adds the major seventh, B.
Related
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