Piano chords
Tap a chord to see the keys, the fingering for each hand and every inversion, then press play to hear it on a sampled grand piano. 252 chords on all 12 roots.
Start here: the essential chords
All chords by root
How to read a piano chord diagram
Each diagram shows two octaves of the keyboard, starting on a C. The coloured keys are the ones you press together; the root, the note the chord is named after, has its own colour. The note names are printed under the keys, and the small numbers on the keys are finger numbers.
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. So a C major chord (C–E–G) with the fingering 1-3-5 means thumb on the lowest key, middle finger in the middle, little finger on top.
Major, minor and seventh chords: what is the difference?
A major chord stacks a major third and a minor third: C major is C–E–G, and it sounds bright and settled. Lower the middle note by one key and you get a minor chord, which sounds softer and sadder. Those two shapes cover most songs.
Seventh chords add a fourth note on top. A dominant seventh (C7) adds the flat seventh and wants to move on to the next chord; a major seventh (Cmaj7, C–E–G–B) adds the natural seventh and sounds warm and jazzy. Sus chords replace the third with the second or fourth, and added-ninth chords colour a plain triad without changing its job.
Inversions: the same chord, a different bottom note
Any chord can be played with a different note at the bottom. C major in root position is C–E–G; move the C up an octave and you get the first inversion, with E at the bottom; move the E up as well and you get the second inversion, with G at the bottom. Seventh chords have a third inversion too. Pianists use inversions so the hand barely moves from one chord to the next, which is why every chord page on TuneKite shows all of them as separate keyboards.
Fingering for the right and left hand
For three-note chords the right hand usually plays 1-3-5 and the left hand 5-3-1. When the top or bottom interval is wider, a fourth, the hand opens differently: 1-2-5 in the right hand or 5-2-1 in the left. Four-note chords use all four fingers next to the widest gap.
Ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords have five or six notes, more than one hand can hold comfortably. Each of those pages shows a practical two-hand voicing: the left hand plays the root, the right hand plays the colour notes, and the notes that can be left out are named.
Questions about piano chords
Which piano chords should I learn first?
Start with C, F and G major, then A minor, D minor and E minor. Those six chords belong to the key of C major, use only white keys and are enough for hundreds of songs.
How many piano chords are there?
In theory there is no limit, but 252 chords on 12 roots cover almost everything in pop, rock, folk and most jazz standards. Rarer chords such as 7♯9 or 6/9 are on the root pages.
Do I need both hands to play a chord?
No. One hand can play any triad or seventh chord. Most players hold the chord in the right hand and play the root, or the root and fifth, in the left hand an octave lower.
Why does the C major chord use only white keys?
Because its notes, C–E–G, are all natural notes. Chords on other roots often need black keys, but the shape of the chord stays the same: a major chord is always 4 + 3 semitones from the root.