From theory — Western theory · Chords.

All the chord types

Chords & harmony: Cheat-sheet · Types · Dictionary · Play along

A chord is three or more notes played together. Almost every chord is built by stacking thirds on top of a root — and every "type" is just a recipe of which scale degrees to include and whether to raise or lower them.

Degrees are measured against the root's major scale. R = root, and the numbers are the 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc. A ♭ lowers that degree a half-step, a ♯ raises it. So a minor triad, R + ♭3 + 5, is a major triad with a lowered third.

Hear any chord

Pick a root, then tap Play on any chord below to hear it and see its notes. Your choice also fills the “On C” column in every table, right next to On C. Try the same root across categories to feel how each color differs.

Root: roll (arpeggiate)

Pick a chord…

Triads (3 notes)

The four basic three-note chords — the foundation of everything else.

Chord	Symbol	Degrees	On C	On C	Feel

Suspended & power

Replace the 3rd (sus) or drop it entirely (power) — no major/minor, so they feel open and unresolved.

Chord	Symbol	Degrees	On C	On C	Feel

Sixth chords

A triad with the 6th added — sweet and vintage.

Chord	Symbol	Degrees	On C	On C	Feel

Seventh chords (4 notes)

Stack one more third on a triad to add the 7th. These are the workhorses of jazz, blues, gospel and soul.

Chord	Symbol	Degrees	On C	On C	Feel

Extended: 9ths, 11ths, 13ths

Keep stacking thirds past the 7th. The 9th, 11th and 13th are just the 2nd, 4th and 6th an octave up. (In practice pianists often drop the 5th or 11th.)

Chord	Symbol	Degrees	On C	On C	Feel

Added-tone chords

Add a color note to a plain triad without stacking a 7th first — common in pop and film.

Chord	Symbol	Degrees	On C	On C	Feel

Altered dominants

A dominant 7th with a raised or lowered 5th/9th. Maximum tension — they pull hard back to the tonic, the spice of jazz.

Chord	Symbol	Degrees	On C	On C	Feel

Chord dictionary — every chord in every key

The full reference — every chord type above transposed to all twelve keys, each with a mini-keyboard showing the exact keys to press — now lives on its own page so it's easier to browse and filter.

Open the chord dictionary

Inversions & slash chords

The recipes above assume the root is the lowest note (root position). Play any other chord tone in the bass and you have an inversion — same chord, different color and smoother voice-leading.

Root position — C E G (C in bass)
1st inversion — E G C (3rd in bass), written C/E
2nd inversion — G C E (5th in bass), written C/G

A slash chord (e.g. C/G, “C over G”) just names the chord and then the bass note. The bass note doesn't have to belong to the chord — D/F♯, F/G and Am/C are all common ways to control the bass line under a familiar chord.

Curious where these chords come from? Each key's diatonic chords live on the Chords section, and the scale colors behind them are in the modes appendix.