Piano Chord Reference

Each diagram shows two octaves of a piano keyboard, starting at middle C (C4). The notes you press for the chord are highlighted; everything else stays grey. Pick a root note from the 12 available (the chromatic scale runs C, C#, D, D# and so on round to B), then choose a chord type from the menu - Major, Minor, 7, Maj7, Min7, Sus2, Sus4, Add9, Dim, Aug, Min9, 9. The intervals shown above each diagram are the formula for that chord; a Major triad is 1-3-5, a Min7 is 1-b3-5-b7, an Aug is 1-3-#5.

The keyboard layout matters because piano chord shapes are physical patterns your hands learn by repetition. A C Major triad sits across three white keys (C-E-G); a D Major sits across two white keys plus a black key (D-F#-A); a B Major sits across three black keys plus a white key (B-D#-F#). Once you spot the recurring shapes, you can play any chord in any key without memorising every voicing individually.

An inversion is the same chord with a different note on the bottom. Root position has the root at the bottom (C-E-G for C Major). First inversion moves the root to the top (E-G-C); second inversion moves the third on top of that (G-C-E). You hear all three as the same chord but they sit at different heights and pull the ear in different directions. The tool toggles between root, first, and second inversion so you can compare side by side and play whichever lies closest to the previous chord under your hand.

Practical use: when moving from C Major to F Major in root position, your hand jumps a fourth, which sounds clunky in fingerpicking patterns. Use first inversion of F (A-C-F) instead and your hand barely moves. Bach, Beatles songwriters, and modern pop arrangers all use inversions to keep voice leading smooth. The [chord library](/chord-library) shows guitar versions of the same idea.

Western music uses 12 notes per octave: C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B. The pattern repeats above and below; the C an octave higher has exactly twice the frequency of the one below it. A standard 88-key piano covers 7 full octaves plus a few extra notes. The reference tool starts at C4 (middle C) and shows 24 keys, which is enough to lay out any single-octave chord and most stretched two-octave voicings.

The 5 black keys per octave aren't a separate scale; they're the sharps and flats. C# and Db are the same key (enharmonic equivalents); the spelling depends on which key you're in. In F# Major you write F#, in Gb Major you write Gb, but it's the same physical black key both times. The display defaults to sharps but the tool labels enharmonic notes correctly when you switch root.