Piano Chord Finder

A piano chord finder shows you exactly which notes make up any chord and where to play them on the keyboard. Pick a root note (C, F♯, B♭, …) and a chord type (major, m7, maj7, sus4, …) and this tool spells the notes with correct enharmonic names, shows the interval formula, highlights the keys on a playable piano keyboard, and lets you hear the chord — or arpeggiate it note by note. It covers 29 chord types across all 12 roots, with every inversion voiced for the piano.

The numbers are scale degrees counted up from the root: 1 is the root itself, 3 is the third, 5 the fifth, 7 the seventh. A ♭ lowers the interval one semitone and a ♯ raises it one. So 1–3–5–♭7 (dominant 7th) means root + major third (4 semitones) + perfect fifth (7 semitones) + minor seventh (10 semitones). C7 is therefore C–E–G–B♭. The chord reference table below lists the semitone formula and interval names for all 29 chord types in this tool.

An inversion keeps the same chord tones but puts a different one in the bass: C–E–G becomes E–G–C (1st inversion) or G–C–E (2nd inversion). The chord name does not change, but the bass motion does — written as slash chords like C/E. Pianists live on inversions because they let you move between chords with tiny hand movements: keep the notes two chords share, and let the rest move by step. Try C (C–E–G) to F in 2nd inversion (C–F–A): the C stays put and only two fingers move.

Suspended chords replace the third: sus4 is 1–4–5 (C–F–G) and sus2 is 1–2–5 (C–D–G), which is why they sound open and unresolved — the note that would tell you “major or minor” is missing. Add9 keeps the third and adds the 9th: Cadd9 is C–E–G–D (1–3–5–9). Sus chords beg to resolve (Csus4 → C); add9 chords are stable colors you can sit on.

The 7♯9 is the E7♯9 Jimi Hendrix made famous in “Purple Haze” and “Foxy Lady”. Its formula is 1–3–5–♭7–♯9, so E7♯9 spells E–G♯–B–D–F## (F double-sharp, enharmonically G). Because the raised 9th sounds like a minor third sitting on top of a major third, the chord growls with both flavors at once — that clash is its signature. Select any root + 7♯9 above to hear it.

Correct chord spelling gives every chord tone its own letter name, because chords are stacks of thirds. A diminished 7th stacks three minor thirds: B♭–D♭–F♭–Abb. Writing E and G would repeat letters and hide the structure; A double-flat is simply the note 9 semitones above B♭, which is what a diminished seventh is by definition. This tool spells every chord from its formula, so what you read always matches what theory expects.

Use the transpose buttons (◀ ▶) next to the root notes: every semitone step moves the root, and the notes, keyboard highlighting, inversions, and fingering all follow. Transpose C up two semitones and you get D with the identical chord type — handy when a singer needs a song in a different key but you already know the shapes in C.

The standard triad fingering is: right hand 1–3–5 in root position, 1–2–5 in 1st inversion, 1–3–5 in 2nd inversion; left hand 5–3–1 in root position, 5–3–1 in 1st inversion, 5–2–1 in 2nd inversion (1 = thumb, 5 = pinky). For seventh chords, start with right-hand 1–2–3–5 in root position. These are starting points, not laws — adjust for your hand size, and keep the wrist relaxed.

Both sit on a diminished triad (1–♭3–♭5), but the seventh differs: m7♭5 adds a minor seventh (10 semitones, e.g. B–D–F–A) while dim7 adds a diminished seventh (9 semitones, e.g. B–D–F–A♭). The m7♭5 is the ii chord in minor keys and sounds wistful; the dim7 stacks minor thirds perfectly, so it divides the octave into four equal parts and repeats every three semitones — which is why one dim7 shape covers four chord names.

Jazz harmony builds extended chords by stacking thirds, so the 9th is a natural member of the stack: C13 is 1–3–5–♭7–9–13 and C7♯11 is 1–3–5–♭7–9–♯11 (the Lydian-dominant sound). The 11th is usually left out of a 13th chord because a perfect 11th clashes harshly with the major 3rd (a minor 9th apart). When a voicing gets too tall for two hands, drop the 5th first — the 3rd and 7th (the guide tones) are what define the chord.

Yes. Click any key on the piano keyboard to hear that single note, press “Play chord” to hear all notes together, or press “Arpeggiate” to hear them one at a time from bass to treble. Arpeggiating is excellent ear training: listen for how the 3rd decides major vs. minor and how the 7th adds tension.

Chord Lab (https://nrtechstudio.com/tools/chord-lab/) is the chord construction lab: type any chord symbol (Cmaj7, F♯m7♭5, B♭13) and it builds it, with guitar fretboard voicings, capo and transpose calculators, transposing-instrument charts, and a reverse chord namer. Piano Chord Finder is the piano-first spoke: pick a root and chord type from buttons, play an interactive piano keyboard with sound, and explore piano voicings, inversions, and transpose — everything voiced for two hands.