Chord Finder
The notes of any chord, from a triad to a thirteenth, spelled the way you would write them.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged or stored.
Major
C
C E G
| Degree | Interval | Note | Also written | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | perfect unison | C | B♯ | 0 |
| 3 | major third | E | F♭ | 4 |
| 5 | perfect fifth | G | 7 |
Pick a root and a chord and see exactly which notes it contains, with the interval each one sits at. The spelling follows the rules of notation rather than the shortest name, which is why an F sharp major chord comes out as F♯ A♯ C♯ and not as F♯ B♭ D♭.
How it works
A chord is a formula of intervals measured from its root. A major triad is a root, a major third and a perfect fifth; a minor seventh is a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. Applying that formula to a root gives both the pitches and their correct names, because an interval decides the letter as well as the sound.
Two symbols follow what players actually play rather than the textbook stack of thirds. An eleventh chord omits the third, which sits a semitone below the eleventh and clashes with it, and a thirteenth chord omits the eleventh for the same reason.
Examples
| Case | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A dominant seventh | G7 | G B D F |
| A half-diminished seventh | Bm7b5 | B D F A |
| A diminished seventh | Cdim7 | C E♭ G♭ B♭♭ |
Frequently asked questions
Why is there a double flat in the diminished seventh?
Because its seventh is diminished, not minor. Written from C that is B double flat, which sounds like A but is not the same written note: spelling it as A would make the chord read as a sixth and break the notation.
Should I pick F sharp or G flat?
Whichever the music around it uses. They sound identical and are different chords on paper, so the choice is yours to make and both are offered rather than one being picked for you.
Do I have to play the notes in this order?
No. The order shown is the chord stacked from its root, which is how it is defined, not how it has to be voiced. Any arrangement of the same notes is the same chord, and a different note in the bass makes it an inversion.
Good to know
- The catalogue covers what appears on lead sheets. It does not attempt every theoretically constructible stack of intervals.