Chord Calculator
Calculate and visualize chord structures for different musical keys. Understand chord formulas, intervals, and tonal characteristics.
Calculate Your Chord Calculator
What is a Chord?
A chord is a combination of three or more notes played simultaneously. Chords are fundamental building blocks in music theory and are used extensively in composition and harmony across all music genres.
Common Chord Types
Chords are classified by the intervals between their notes. The most common types include:
- Major chords - Consist of a root, major third, and perfect fifth. They have a bright, happy sound.
- Minor chords - Consist of a root, minor third, and perfect fifth. They have a darker, melancholic sound.
- Diminished chords - Consist of a root, minor third, and diminished fifth. They sound tense and unstable.
- Augmented chords - Consist of a root, major third, and augmented fifth. They have a mysterious, unsettled quality.
- Seventh chords - Add a seventh interval above the root to the basic triad, creating richer harmonies.
How to Use the Chord Calculator
Our chord calculator helps you find the notes in any chord:
- Select a root note (like C, D, E♭, etc.) from the dropdown menu.
- Choose a chord type (major, minor, diminished, etc.).
- Click "Calculate Chord" to see the resulting chord notes.
The calculator will display the complete chord name, all notes in the chord, the formula used to construct it, the intervals, and a brief description of its sound character.
Understanding Chord Formulas
Chord formulas use numbers to represent scale degrees:
- 1 - Root note
- 3 - Major third (4 semitones above root)
- b3 - Minor third (3 semitones above root)
- 5 - Perfect fifth (7 semitones above root)
- b5 - Diminished fifth (6 semitones above root)
- #5 - Augmented fifth (8 semitones above root)
- 7 - Major seventh (11 semitones above root)
- b7 - Minor seventh (10 semitones above root)
Applications of Chord Knowledge
Understanding chords is essential for:
- Writing songs and composing music
- Analyzing existing music to understand harmony
- Improvising and creating accompaniments
- Transposing music to different keys
- Developing ear training skills
With practice, you'll begin to recognize chord types by ear and understand how they function within musical progressions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A chord is a group of three or more musical notes played simultaneously. Chords form the foundation of harmony in music and are used to accompany melodies, create progressions, and establish the tonal center of a piece. The most basic chord (a triad) consists of a root note, a third, and a fifth.
The main difference is in the third scale degree. Major chords have a major third (4 semitones above the root), giving them a bright, happy sound. Minor chords have a minor third (3 semitones above the root), which creates a darker, more melancholic sound. Both have the same perfect fifth (7 semitones above the root).
Seventh chords are four-note chords that add a seventh interval above the root to a basic three-note triad. Common types include major 7th (adds a major 7th to a major triad), minor 7th (adds a minor 7th to a minor triad), and dominant 7th (adds a minor 7th to a major triad). They create more complex, rich harmonies and are especially common in jazz, blues, and contemporary music.
Chord formulas use numbers to represent scale degrees relative to the root note. In the formula 1-3-5 (a major triad), '1' represents the root note, '3' represents a major third above the root, and '5' represents a perfect fifth above the root. These formulas help musicians understand how chords are constructed regardless of the key they're playing in.
Suspended chords (often abbreviated as "sus") replace the third of a chord with either a second (sus2) or fourth (sus4), creating an open, ambiguous sound that doesn't clearly sound major or minor. These chords often create tension that resolves to a traditional chord.
Examples:
- Csus2 contains the notes C, D, and G (1-2-5)
- Csus4 contains the notes C, F, and G (1-4-5)
Diminished chords have a root, minor third, and diminished (flattened) fifth, creating a tense, unstable sound often used for transitions or dramatic effect. Augmented chords have a root, major third, and augmented (sharpened) fifth, producing an unsettled, mysterious sound that creates tension and anticipation. Both are less common than major and minor chords but add important color and tension to music.
Yes, you can rearrange the order of notes in a chord, placing any chord tone in the bass or as the highest note. These rearrangements are called chord inversions. While inversions contain the same notes as the original chord, they create different voicings with subtle changes in sound and function. Inversions are often used to create smoother voice leading between chords or to vary the sound in a chord progression.
Chord symbols provide a shorthand way to indicate which chord should be played. They typically consist of:
- A letter for the root note (C, D, E, etc.)
- Quality indicators (no symbol = major, m = minor, dim = diminished, aug = augmented)
- Extensions or alterations (7, maj7, add9, sus4, etc.)
For example, "Cmaj7" indicates a C major chord with an added major seventh, containing the notes C, E, G, and B.
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