Audio & Music
Chord Finder - Notes in Any Chord by Root & Quality
Find all notes in any chord. Select root note and chord quality to see every note with its interval label.
Chord: C
Fretboard positions
● root ○ chord tone Standard tuning (E A D G B e)
All chord types from C
| Chord ▲▼ | Notes ▲▼ |
|---|---|
| C (Major) | C - E - G |
| Cm (Minor) | C - D# - G |
| Cdim (Diminished) | C - D# - F# |
| Caug (Augmented) | C - E - G# |
| C7 (Dominant 7th) | C - E - G - A# |
| Cmaj7 (Major 7th) | C - E - G - B |
| Cm7 (Minor 7th) | C - D# - G - A# |
| Cdim7 (Diminished 7th) | C - D# - F# - A |
| Cm7b5 (Half-Diminished 7th) | C - D# - F# - A# |
| Csus2 (Suspended 2nd) | C - D - G |
| Csus4 (Suspended 4th) | C - F - G |
| CmMaj7 (Minor/Major 7th) | C - D# - G - B |
| Cadd9 (Added 9th) | C - E - G - D |
| C6 (Major 6th) | C - E - G - A |
| Cm6 (Minor 6th) | C - D# - G - A |
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.
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
- Add9: 0 – 4 – 7 – 14 (no 7th)
- 6th: 0 – 4 – 7 – 9
- Minor 6th: 0 – 3 – 7 – 9
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.
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