Major
1 — 3 — 5
The bright, stable triad at the foundation of Western harmony — a major third stacked on a minor third.
Piano Chords
Every chord starts with a root note and stacks intervals on top of it. A major triad is just a major third plus a minor third — three notes, one shape you can move to any key.
Find by feel
Consonance-to-dissonance spectrum
All 43 chord types plotted by harmonic tension. Stable triads on the left, altered dominants on the right. Click any dot to jump to its card.
☼ Most stable · triadsSeventhsMaximum tension · altered ☾
Click any chord to build it from C. Use the ⋯ menu on a card to pick a different root just for that chord.
Triads
Learn more →Minor
1 — ♭3 — 5
A darker, introspective triad built on a lowered third — the sound of melancholy in Western music.
Augmented
1 — 3 — ♯5
A tense triad with a raised fifth — unresolved, symmetrical, and dramatic.
Diminished
1 — ♭3 — ♭5
A dissonant triad with two lowered notes — the bridge between functional minor and full diminished.
Power Chord
Suspended & Added
Suspended 2nd
1 — 2 — 5
The third is replaced by a 2nd — open, airy, and unresolved between major and minor.
Suspended 4th
1 — 4 — 5
Yearning and unresolved — the third is replaced by a perfect fourth, begging to fall home.
Add 9
1 — 2 — 3 — 5
A major triad with an added 9th — sweet, modern, and chime-like without the 7th.
Dominant 7sus4
1 — 4 — 5 — ♭7
A dominant 7 with the third suspended to the 4th — a staple of soul, gospel, and modal jazz.
Dominant 9sus4
1 — 4 — 5 — ♭7 — 9
A 9sus4 voicing — floating, lush, and rootless-friendly, often used to imply dominant function without commitment.
Dominant 13sus4
1 — 4 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 13
A full suspended 13th — every upper extension over a sus voicing, signature of modern jazz piano.
Sixth Chords
Major 6
1 — 3 — 5 — 6
A major triad with an added 6th — warm, swinging, and a clean alternative to maj7.
Minor 6
1 — ♭3 — 5 — 6
A minor triad with a natural 6th — bittersweet, classic in jazz ballads and bossa.
Major 6/9
1 — 3 — 5 — 6 — 9
A major triad with both 6th and 9th — the lush, no-leading-tone resting chord of bossa and pop-jazz.
Seventh Chords
Learn more →Major 7
1 — 3 — 5 — 7
Dreamy and sophisticated — a major triad topped with a bright major seventh.
Minor 7
1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7
A minor triad with a flat 7 — smooth, soulful, the workhorse of ii-V-I.
Dominant 7
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7
The functional dominant — major triad plus flat 7, wanting to resolve down a fifth.
Minor (Major 7)
1 — ♭3 — 5 — 7
A minor triad with a major 7th on top — a James Bond, film-noir voicing with a hidden edge.
Half Diminished
1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — ♭7
Also called min7♭5 — a diminished triad with a regular ♭7, the ii of a minor ii-V-i.
Diminished 7
1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — 𝄫7
A fully symmetric stack of minor thirds — every inversion sounds the same, and any note can be the root.
Augmented 7
1 — 3 — ♯5 — ♭7
A dominant with a raised 5th — built for whole-tone color and altered resolutions.
Extended Chords
Major 9
1 — 3 — 5 — 7 — 9
A maj7 with a 9 — even dreamier, the signature ECM and bossa color.
Minor 9
1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9
A minor 7 with an added 9 — velvety and modern, the chord of neo-soul.
Dominant 9
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9
A dominant 7 with the 9 stacked on top — funky, bluesy, the James Brown signature.
Major 11
1 — 3 — 5 — 7 — 9 — 11
Maj7 stacked through the natural 11 — often voiced without the 3rd to avoid clash.
Minor 11
1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11
A minor 7 with both 9 and 11 added — the rich, modal sound of Dorian piano voicings.
Dominant 11
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11
A dominant 7 with 9 and 11 — usually voiced as a 9sus to avoid the 3-vs-11 clash.
Major 13
1 — 3 — 5 — 7 — 9 — 11 — 13
Every diatonic tone over a major triad — maximally lush, used as a final chord in jazz.
Minor 13
1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 — 13
A minor 7 stacked through the natural 13 — moody, dense, and unmistakably modern.
Dominant 13
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 — 13
A dominant 7 with the full 13th stack — the most colorful unaltered dominant.
Altered Chords
Dominant 7♭5
1 — 3 — ♭5 — ♭7
A dominant with a lowered 5th — whole-tone color over a functional 7.
Dominant 7♯5
1 — 3 — ♯5 — ♭7
A dominant with a raised 5th — the augmented-7 sound spelled as an altered V chord.
Dominant 7♯11
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♯11
A dominant 7 with a raised 11th — Lydian-dominant color, floating and unresolved.
Dominant 7♭9
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♭9
A dominant 7 with a flat 9 — the urgent, half-diminished-flavored V of minor.
Dominant 7♯9
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♯9
The "Hendrix chord" — major 3 over a minor 3, the unmistakable rock-jazz crunch.
Dominant 7♭13
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♭13
A dominant 7 with a lowered 13th — equivalent to a ♯5 a sixth up, used for darker V chords.
Dominant 9♭5
1 — 3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — 9
A 9th chord with a flat 5 — full whole-tone color with the 9 added on top.
Dominant 9♯5
1 — 3 — ♯5 — ♭7 — 9
A 9th chord with a raised 5 — augmented brightness over a functional dominant.
Minor 11♭5
1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11
A half-diminished 7 with 9 and 11 added — the upper-structure sound over minor ii–V–i.
Minor 13♭5
1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 — 13
A half-diminished stacked through the natural 13 — the densest extension of the locrian ♮2 sound.
Dominant 7♭9♯11
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♭9 — ♯11
A dominant with both ♭9 and ♯11 — half-whole-diminished color over a V chord.
Dominant 7♯9♯11
1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♯9 — ♯11
Hendrix crunch with a raised 11 stacked on top — maximum upper-structure dissonance.
Dominant 7♭5♯9
1 — 3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — ♯9
A dominant with both ♭5 and ♯9 — pure altered-scale sound, the apex of V-chord tension.
What is a chord?
A chord is three or more notes sounded together. The simplest chord — a triad — stacks a root, third, and fifth. Adding a 7th turns it into a seventh chord; piling on 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths produces the extended and altered voicings of jazz.
Every chord on this page can be built from any of 12 root notes. The detail pages include keyboard diagrams, audio, inversions, fingering, and the songs that use each chord.
Chord formula reference
| Chord | Notes | Formula | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | 3 | 1 — 3 — 5 | triad |
| Minor | 3 | 1 — ♭3 — 5 | triad |
| Augmented | 3 | 1 — 3 — ♯5 | triad |
| Diminished | 3 | 1 — ♭3 — ♭5 | triad |
| Power | 2 | 1 — 5 | power |
| Suspended 2nd | 3 | 1 — 2 — 5 | sus |
| Suspended 4th | 3 | 1 — 4 — 5 | sus |
| Add 9 | 4 | 1 — 2 — 3 — 5 | sus |
| Dominant 7sus4 | 4 | 1 — 4 — 5 — ♭7 | sus |
| Dominant 9sus4 | 5 | 1 — 4 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 | sus |
| Dominant 13sus4 | 6 | 1 — 4 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 13 | sus |
| Major 6 | 4 | 1 — 3 — 5 — 6 | sixth |
| Minor 6 | 4 | 1 — ♭3 — 5 — 6 | sixth |
| Major 6/9 | 5 | 1 — 3 — 5 — 6 — 9 | sixth |
| Major 7 | 4 | 1 — 3 — 5 — 7 | seventh |
| Minor 7 | 4 | 1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7 | seventh |
| Dominant 7 | 4 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 | seventh |
| Minor (Major 7) | 4 | 1 — ♭3 — 5 — 7 | seventh |
| Half Diminished | 4 | 1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — ♭7 | seventh |
| Diminished 7 | 4 | 1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — 𝄫7 | seventh |
| Augmented 7 | 4 | 1 — 3 — ♯5 — ♭7 | seventh |
| Major 9 | 5 | 1 — 3 — 5 — 7 — 9 | extended |
| Minor 9 | 5 | 1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 | extended |
| Dominant 9 | 5 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 | extended |
| Major 11 | 6 | 1 — 3 — 5 — 7 — 9 — 11 | extended |
| Minor 11 | 6 | 1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 | extended |
| Dominant 11 | 6 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 | extended |
| Major 13 | 7 | 1 — 3 — 5 — 7 — 9 — 11 — 13 | extended |
| Minor 13 | 7 | 1 — ♭3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 — 13 | extended |
| Dominant 13 | 7 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 — 13 | extended |
| Dominant 7♭5 | 4 | 1 — 3 — ♭5 — ♭7 | altered |
| Dominant 7♯5 | 4 | 1 — 3 — ♯5 — ♭7 | altered |
| Dominant 7♯11 | 5 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♯11 | altered |
| Dominant 7♭9 | 5 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♭9 | altered |
| Dominant 7♯9 | 5 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♯9 | altered |
| Dominant 7♭13 | 5 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♭13 | altered |
| Dominant 9♭5 | 5 | 1 — 3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — 9 | altered |
| Dominant 9♯5 | 5 | 1 — 3 — ♯5 — ♭7 — 9 | altered |
| Minor 11♭5 | 6 | 1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 | altered |
| Minor 13♭5 | 7 | 1 — ♭3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — 9 — 11 — 13 | altered |
| Dominant 7♭9♯11 | 6 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♭9 — ♯11 | altered |
| Dominant 7♯9♯11 | 6 | 1 — 3 — 5 — ♭7 — ♯9 — ♯11 | altered |
| Dominant 7♭5♯9 | 5 | 1 — 3 — ♭5 — ♭7 — ♯9 | altered |