Chord namer
Tap a spot on a string. Tap again to clear.
Scroll sideways for frets 6 to 12.
Keys run from C3 to B4.
Scroll sideways for the upper octave.
Pick some notes to see the name.
Here Do means the root of this chord, whatever note that is. Mi is the major third, Sol the fifth.
Why it has this name
Can you hear your chord?
Five rounds. Each round plays two chords, A then B. One is yours and the other is a close neighbour.
Which one was yours?
What this is
Tap the notes on a guitar or a piano, hear them, and read the name plus why it got that name. If the chord has three notes or more, you can try telling it apart from a close neighbour.
How to use it
- Choose Guitar or Piano and tap the notes of a chord you know or want to check.
- Press Hear it or Strum, then read the name and the lines under Why it has this name.
- When the chord has three or more notes, press Can you hear your chord and pick which of two chords is yours.
Questions
How are chords named?
A chord is named after its root, the note it is built on, plus the gaps stacked above it. Gaps are counted in rows: one row is the step from any key to the very next key, black or white. Musicians call that a semitone. A 4 row third with a 7 row fifth is a major chord, written as the root letter alone. A 3 row third makes it minor, written with an m. Extra notes add a number, such as 7 or 9.
Why can the same notes have two names?
The notes A C E G are Am7 when A is the root. Hear C as the centre and the same four notes are C6. Nothing about the notes changes, only where you place the centre. The lowest note usually settles it. Black notes are written as a sharp or a flat depending on the chord: the note between D and E is Eb in C minor and D# in B major.
What is a slash chord?
A slash chord names the chord first and the lowest note after the slash. C/E is a C major chord with E in the bass. It tells the player which note to put lowest.
What is the difference between major and minor?
One note. In a major chord the third sits 4 rows above the root, which sounds bright. In a minor chord it sits 3 rows above, which sounds dark. That single row is the whole change.
What does the 7 mean?
A 7 adds a seventh note on top of the basic chord. A plain 7 uses the note 10 rows above the root and sounds soulful and unfinished. A maj7 uses the note 11 rows above and sounds piercing and almost home.
Why did a note disappear?
On the piano, only C3 to B4 are available. On the guitar, a voicing has to fit one note per string. Notes that fall outside those limits are not kept, and the name follows what remains.
What is Do Re Mi?
Two things share those words. In many countries Do Re Mi are simply the names of the notes, with Do always meaning C. In ear training, Do can instead mean the home note of a key or the root of a chord, and the other names count steps from it. This page can show both.