About the Chord Finder
This chord finder shows exactly what is in a chord. Pick a root note and a chord type — major, minor, seventh, major seventh, suspended, diminished, augmented, add9, ninth chords and more — and it lists the correctly spelled notes, the interval formula, an easy guitar fingering in standard tuning with alternative shapes, and the piano keys to press.
Use it when a chord chart throws an unfamiliar symbol at you, when you are writing a song and want to know which notes a chord contains, or when you are learning how chords are built from intervals. Notes are spelled the way theory books spell them, so a D♭ major chord is D♭–F–A♭ rather than C♯–F–G♯.
Guitar shapes are written from the low E string to the high E string, with x for a muted string and 0 for an open string. The suggested shape is the lowest-position playable voicing with the root in the bass; in four- and five-note chords the fifth may be left out, as guitarists usually do.
How to use the chord finder
- 1Choose the root note — the letter at the start of the chord symbol.
- 2Choose the chord type, for example minor for “m”, dominant 7th for “7” or major 7th for “maj7”.
- 3Read the notes and interval formula.
- 4Play the guitar shape from the low E string to the high E string (x = muted, 0 = open).
- 5On piano, press the listed keys starting from the root near middle C.
Formula and method
Every chord type is a fixed set of intervals above the root. A major triad stacks a major third (4 semitones) and a perfect fifth (7); a minor triad lowers the third to 3 semitones; a dominant seventh adds a minor seventh (10) and a major seventh adds 11. Ninths sit 14 semitones (an octave plus a whole step) above the root.
Note names are spelled by scale degree: the third of a chord always uses the letter two steps above the root, the fifth four steps above and so on, then sharps or flats are added to hit the right pitch. That is why E♭ minor is E♭–G♭–B♭, not E♭–F♯–A♯. Guitar shapes come from standard open chords and the movable E-, A- and D-shape barre forms, choosing the lowest playable one.
- R
- Root — the note the chord is named after
- 3 / ♭3
- Major third (4 semitones) / minor third (3 semitones)
- 5 / ♭5 / ♯5
- Perfect (7), diminished (6) or augmented (8) fifth
- 7 / ♭7
- Major seventh (11) / minor seventh (10) semitones
Worked examples
C major 7th
Cmaj7 stacks a major third (E), a perfect fifth (G) and a major seventh (B) on C. On guitar the open shape x32000 is simply a C chord with the index finger lifted, letting the open B string ring.
A minor
A minor is A plus a minor third (C, 3 semitones) and a perfect fifth (E, 7 semitones). The open guitar shape is x02210, and on piano you press A4, C5 and E5.
F♯ minor 7th
F♯m7 contains F♯, A (minor third), C♯ (fifth) and E (minor seventh). The usual guitar fingering is the E-shape minor-seventh barre at the 2nd fret: 242222.
E♭ major (flat key spelling)
The third above E♭ uses the letter G and the fifth uses B, so E♭ major is spelled E♭–G–B♭ rather than D♯–G–A♯.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a C major chord?+
C major contains C, E and G — the root, a major third (4 semitones up) and a perfect fifth (7 semitones up). On guitar it is usually played as x32010.
What is the difference between a 7 and a maj7 chord?+
A “7” (dominant seventh) adds a minor seventh, 10 semitones above the root (C7 = C–E–G–B♭). A “maj7” adds a major seventh, 11 semitones up (Cmaj7 = C–E–G–B), giving a softer, jazzier sound.
What does sus mean in a chord?+
Sus (suspended) chords replace the third with either the second (sus2) or the fourth (sus4). Without a third they sound neither major nor minor, which creates an open, unresolved sound.
How do I read a guitar chord shape like x32010?+
Each character is one string from the low (thickest) E string to the high E string: x means don’t play that string, 0 means play it open, and a number is the fret to press.
What is the difference between add9 and 9 chords?+
An add9 chord is a triad plus the ninth (Cadd9 = C–E–G–D). A 9 chord also contains the minor seventh (C9 = C–E–G–B♭–D), so it sounds bluesier and more dominant.
Why does the chord finder write E♭ instead of D♯?+
Chord tones are spelled from the root’s letter so each interval gets its proper letter name. Choose D♯ as the root if you want sharp spellings, for example D♯–F𝄪–A♯ for D♯ major.