Piano chords: a chart of major, minor, seventh and other chords, with inversions
A chord is two or more notes played together, and the most common is the triad: a root, a third and a fifth. Here are the formulas for every common chord type, the major and minor chords in all 12 keys, seventh chords, inversions and how to finger them.
A chord is two or more notes played together. The most common chord is the triad: three notes stacked in thirds, called the root, the third and the fifth. To build one on a piano, take every other note of the scale from the root: C, E and G make C major. Counted in half steps (semitones) from the root, a major chord is 4 half steps to the third and 3 more to the fifth; a minor chord is 3, then 4.
Chord types and formulas
The formula numbers are the notes of the major scale counted from the root, with b lowering a note by a half step and # raising it:
| Chord | Formula | Half steps | On C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | 1 3 5 | 0 4 7 | C = C E G |
| Minor | 1 b3 5 | 0 3 7 | Cm = C Eb G |
| Diminished | 1 b3 b5 | 0 3 6 | Cdim = C Eb Gb |
| Augmented | 1 3 #5 | 0 4 8 | Caug = C E G# |
| Suspended 2nd | 1 2 5 | 0 2 7 | Csus2 = C D G |
| Suspended 4th | 1 4 5 | 0 5 7 | Csus4 = C F G |
Major and minor chords are the most used. A suspended chord replaces the third with the second or the fourth, which leaves it sounding neither major nor minor.
Major and minor chords in every key
| Major chord | Minor chord |
|---|---|
| C = C E G | Cm = C Eb G |
| Db = Db F Ab | C#m = C# E G# |
| D = D F# A | Dm = D F A |
| Eb = Eb G Bb | Ebm = Eb Gb Bb |
| E = E G# B | Em = E G B |
| F = F A C | Fm = F Ab C |
| F# = F# A# C# | F#m = F# A C# |
| G = G B D | Gm = G Bb D |
| Ab = Ab C Eb | G#m = G# B D# |
| A = A C# E | Am = A C E |
| Bb = Bb D F | Bbm = Bb Db F |
| B = B D# F# | Bm = B D F# |
Each row starts on one piano key, named the way its key signature usually spells it: Db and C# are the same key, as are Ab and G#. Every chord skips a letter between its notes, as C, E and G skip D and F.
Seventh chords
A seventh chord is a triad plus a note a seventh above the root. When a chart just says "7", as in C7, it means the dominant seventh: a major triad with a minor seventh.
| Chord | Formula | On C |
|---|---|---|
| Major 7th | 1 3 5 7 | Cmaj7 = C E G B |
| Dominant 7th | 1 3 5 b7 | C7 = C E G Bb |
| Minor 7th | 1 b3 5 b7 | Cm7 = C Eb G Bb |
| Half-diminished 7th | 1 b3 b5 b7 | Cm7b5 = C Eb Gb Bb |
| Diminished 7th | 1 b3 b5 bb7 | Cdim7 = C Eb Gb Bbb (Bbb = A) |
The half-diminished seventh is the chord built on the seventh note of a major scale (B D F A in C major). The diminished seventh lowers the seventh one more half step, so on the keyboard it lands on the same key as a major sixth.
Chord inversions
A chord is in root position when its root is the lowest note. In the first inversion the third is at the bottom (E G C), and in the second inversion the fifth is (G C E). A triad has two inversions; a four-note chord, such as a seventh chord, has three. Inversions keep the chord's name and notes, so you can use them to keep your hand in one place as the chords change. Chord charts write an inversion as a slash chord, the chord and then its bass note: C/E is C major in first inversion, and C/G is C major in second inversion.
How to finger piano chords
Piano fingers are numbered the same way on both hands: 1 is the thumb, 2 the index finger, 3 the middle finger, 4 the ring finger and 5 the little finger. A triad uses every other finger. These are the fingerings piano lessons commonly teach for C major, with the notes listed from low to high, and the same fingers play the other major and minor triads:
| Position | Notes | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | C E G | 1 3 5 | 5 3 1 |
| First inversion | E G C | 1 2 5 | 5 3 1 |
| Second inversion | G C E | 1 3 5 or 1 2 5 | 5 2 1 |
The inversions change a finger because their notes are not evenly spaced. In E G C the gap from G up to C is a fourth, wider than the third below it, so the right hand plays the middle note, G, with 2 instead of 3, which leaves room for the stretch to C. In G C E the wide gap is at the bottom, so the left hand plays the middle note, C, with 2. Lessons differ on the right hand in second inversion; use whichever of the two fits your hand.
Find and hear chords in your browser
To name a chord from notes you found by ear, click them into the chord finder: it shows the chord's name, its inversions and any other names the same notes can take. To hear the chords on this page, play them on the virtual piano with your computer keyboard, mouse or touch, and turn on its chord labels to see the name of what you hold.
Piano chords in a DAW and in Kiln
In a piano roll, a chord is its notes stacked on the same beat: draw C, E and G together for C major, then move the lowest note up an octave for the first inversion. Kiln Synthesizer shows the name of the note or chord you play above its waveform display, and in Poly mode its Chord Glide slides each note of one chord to the nearest note of the next. To string chords into progressions, see chord progressions in every key; for the scales they come from, see the guide to scales.
Piano chord questions
What notes are in a C chord?
C major is C, E and G. C minor is C, Eb and G. C7, the dominant seventh, adds Bb: C, E, G and Bb.
How do you make a minor chord?
Lower the third of the major chord by a half step: C E G becomes C Eb G. Counted from the root, a minor chord is 3 half steps to the third and 4 more to the fifth.
What is a 7th chord?
A triad with a fourth note a seventh above the root. A plain 7 chord, like G7 (G B D F), is the dominant seventh: a major triad with a minor seventh.
What is a chord inversion?
The same chord with a note other than the root at the bottom. C major's first inversion is E G C, and its second is G C E. A slash chord names the bass note: C/E is C major in first inversion.
What fingers do you use for piano chords?
For a three-note chord in root position, the right hand plays 1, 3 and 5 (thumb, middle finger and little finger) and the left hand plays 5, 3 and 1. Inversions move one finger so the wider gap in the chord falls between fingers that can reach it.
