Chord Finder - Notes in Any Chord by Root & Quality

How to use this tool

1. Select a root note and choose whether to spell accidentals with sharps or flats.
2. Select a chord quality, including dominant, major, and minor 9th chords.
3. Read the interval list, switch between guitar and piano diagrams, or play the chord.

How chords are constructed

A chord is built by stacking intervals above a root note. In equal temperament, the 12 notes per octave are evenly spaced at 100 cents (1 semitone) apart. The finder applies each interval to the selected root and spells the resulting notes by musical letter, so a C minor third is shown as E♭ and a C dominant seventh includes B♭.

Choose a root and quality to see the chord tones, then switch the diagram between a guitar pitch map and a two-octave piano keyboard. Sharps and flats change the root spelling while interval spelling stays tied to the chord formula. The Play buttons synthesize the same notes in your browser; they use a simple electronic tone rather than a recorded instrument.

Common chord formulas (intervals in semitones)

• Major: 0 – 4 – 7
• Minor: 0 – 3 – 7
• Dominant 7th: 0 – 4 – 7 – 10
• Major 7th: 0 – 4 – 7 – 11
• Minor 7th: 0 – 3 – 7 – 10
• Diminished: 0 – 3 – 6
• Augmented: 0 – 4 – 8
• Suspended 2nd (sus2): 0 – 2 – 7
• Suspended 4th (sus4): 0 – 5 – 7
• Diminished 7th: 0 – 3 – 6 – 9
• Half-diminished (m7♭5): 0 – 3 – 6 – 10
• Minor major 7th: 0 – 3 – 7 – 11
• Dominant 9th: 0 – 4 – 7 – 10 – 14
• Major 9th: 0 – 4 – 7 – 11 – 14
• Minor 9th: 0 – 3 – 7 – 10 – 14
• Add9: 0 – 4 – 7 – 14 (no 7th)
• 6th: 0 – 4 – 7 – 9
• Minor 6th: 0 – 3 – 7 – 9

A 9th is the same pitch class as a 2nd, placed an octave higher in the chord formula. For example, C add9 includes D at 14 semitones above C, while C9 also includes the dominant 7th (B♭). The note cards show compound intervals as an octave plus the remaining semitones.

Chord inversions

A chord is in root position when the root note is the lowest pitch. An inversion places a different chord tone at the bottom:

• First inversion: the 3rd of the chord is the lowest note. A C major first inversion has E at the bottom (E–G–C). Notated as C/E.
• Second inversion: the 5th is the lowest note. C major second inversion has G at the bottom (G–C–E). Notated as C/G.

Inversions are used for smoother voice leading (minimizing the distance each voice needs to move between chords) and to create different bass-line textures without changing the fundamental harmony.

Piano voicing

On piano, chords are often split between hands for richness and ease of playing. A common approach is to play the root (and possibly the fifth) in the left hand and the 3rd, 7th, and any extensions in the right hand. For a Cmaj7 chord: left hand plays C (and G optionally), right hand plays E–G–B. This "shell voicing" technique keeps the harmonic content clear without crowding the lower register.

The keyboard diagram highlights every occurrence of each chord pitch from C3 through C5. It is a note-location aid, not a recommended hand position: pianists often spread or omit tones to keep voicings comfortable and clear.

Reading the guitar map

The guitar diagram marks matching notes on the six strings in standard tuning, including open strings and frets 1 through 5. It shows every matching pitch in that small neck window, rather than one playable fingering. A real chord shape chooses a subset of those pitches and may include muted strings, open notes, or frets farther up the neck.

Guitar chord shapes (most common open chords)

The CAGED system organizes all guitar chords around five open-position shapes. The most essential open chords every guitarist should learn:

• C major: x32010 - root at 5th string, 3rd fret
• G major: 320003 or 320033 - versatile, open sound
• D major: xx0232 - bright, resonant
• A minor: x02210 - same shape as E major moved up
• E minor: 022000 - the easiest two-finger chord
• F major: 133211 - the first barre chord most guitarists learn