Chords
Pick a chord to see it on guitar, piano and ukulele on one page, and hear it. Or go straight to guitar, piano or ukulele chords.
The 15 chord types, on C
Every type below is a recipe of intervals. Tap to hear each one built on C; the same recipe works from any root.
| Type | Symbol | Formula | On C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| major | C | 1–3–5 | C E G | |
| minor | Cm | 1–♭3–5 | C E♭ G | |
| dominant seventh | C7 | 1–3–5–♭7 | C E G B♭ | |
| major seventh | Cmaj7 | 1–3–5–7 | C E G B | |
| minor seventh | Cm7 | 1–♭3–5–♭7 | C E♭ G B♭ | |
| suspended fourth | Csus4 | 1–4–5 | C F G | |
| suspended second | Csus2 | 1–2–5 | C D G | |
| add 9 | Cadd9 | 1–3–5–9 | C E G D | |
| diminished | Cdim | 1–♭3–♭5 | C E♭ G♭ | |
| augmented | Caug | 1–3–♯5 | C E G♯ | |
| major sixth | C6 | 1–3–5–6 | C E G A | |
| minor sixth | Cm6 | 1–♭3–5–6 | C E♭ G A | |
| dominant ninth | C9 | 1–3–5–♭7–9 | C E G B♭ D | |
| diminished seventh | Cdim7 | 1–♭3–♭5–♭♭7 | C E♭ G♭ B𝄫 | |
| half-diminished | Cm7♭5 | 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 | C E♭ G♭ B♭ |
How to read a chord name
A chord symbol is a short recipe. The first letter, with any sharp or flat, is the root: the note the chord is built on and usually the lowest one you hear. Everything after it describes the other notes. No suffix at all means major, so "G" is G major. A lower-case "m" means minor: Gm. A number usually adds a note: G7 adds the seventh, G9 adds the ninth on top of the seventh. "maj7" is a different seventh, one half step higher, which is why Gmaj7 and G7 sound so different.
"sus" means suspended: the middle note of the triad is replaced, by the second in sus2 or the fourth in sus4. "add9" adds the ninth without the seventh. "dim" and "aug" squeeze or stretch the triad: a diminished chord lowers the fifth, an augmented chord raises it. A slash, as in C/E, names the bass note: play C, with E at the bottom.
Sharps, flats and two names for one chord
C♯ and D♭ are the same key on a piano and the same fret on a guitar, so C♯m and D♭m sound identical. Which name a songbook uses depends on the key of the song: a song in E major uses C♯m, one in A♭ major would write D♭m. This site files each chord once, under the name you will see most often, and mentions the other spelling on the page. A few chord types go further: every diminished seventh chord shares its four notes with three others, and every augmented chord with two others, because their notes are spaced evenly around the octave.
One chord, three instruments
The notes of a chord never change, but where your fingers go does. On piano you press the notes directly. On guitar and ukulele the same notes are spread across strings, often with some doubled, which is why one chord has several shapes. The pages above show all three side by side and play the exact notes drawn, so you can compare how B minor sits under a pianist's hand and a guitarist's.
Chord questions
What is a chord?
Three or more notes played together. Most chords are built by stacking thirds: a root, the note a third above it, and the note a third above that. How triads work.
What is the difference between major and minor chords?
One note. A major chord has a major third (4 half steps) above the root; a minor chord has a minor third (3 half steps). C major is C–E–G, C minor is C–E♭–G.
What does the 7 in a chord name mean?
A seventh has been added. "C7" means a dominant seventh (C–E–G–B♭). "Cmaj7" adds the major seventh instead (C–E–G–B), and "Cm7" is a minor chord with the flat seventh (C–E♭–G–B♭).
What does sus mean in a chord?
Suspended: the third is replaced by the second (sus2) or the fourth (sus4), so the chord is neither major nor minor until it resolves.
Updated September 2026.