How do you play a piano chord?A symbol, a few notes, a shape to explore.

01 / FROM SYMBOL TO KEYBOARD

Play a piano chord, step by step

1. Read the root. In Am, A names the root: this is where you start building the chord.
2. Identify the chord type. The m means minor. In Amaj7, maj7 asks for a major triad with a major seventh.
3. Find the notes and their order. Am contains A–C–E. Start in root position, then explore inversions.
4. Listen, then play. Check each note separately before combining them. Keep your wrist flexible and release your hand between attempts.

02 / CHORD LETTERS

Which notes do A, B, C, D, E, F and G represent?

Chord charts commonly use letter names. Read the diagram in white-key order starting at C: C–D–E–F–G–A–B. B corresponds to Si in the French note names used by Pianolia.

A sharp (♯) raises a note one semitone; a flat (♭) lowers it one semitone. C♯ and D♭ share the same black key on a piano. E–F and B–C are already one semitone apart: E♯ is played on F, and C♭ on B.

A semitone is the distance between adjacent keys, black or white. A tone is two semitones. Start at zero on your starting note and move one key for each semitone.

03 / BUILDING CHORDS

Build a major or minor chord

The root gives the chord its name. Formula numbers describe intervals above that root: 1 is the root, 3 the third, 5 the fifth. A ♭ before a number lowers that interval one semitone; it does not necessarily mean a black key.

For E major, start on E: four semitones give G♯, then three give B. For E minor, replace G♯ with G natural. For A minor, the same formula gives A–C–E: no black keys are needed.

04 / YOUR REFERENCE

Piano chord chart: formulas and notes

Every example starts on C for easy comparison. Transpose the formula to any root. Click a symbol to see its keys and hear it in the selector.

B♭♭, the diminished seventh above C, shares a piano key with A. Its spelling remains B to show that the interval is a seventh rather than a sixth. The selector preserves this musical spelling.

AN EASIER CHORD SHAPE

How do you simplify seventh and ninth chords?

Simplified mode uses closer positions while keeping the root and defining tones. For C7, play C–E–B♭ without the fifth G. For C9, keep C, E, B♭ and D; the ninth can be placed within the same octave. Four notes retain the ninth colour instead of five.

An altered fifth in a diminished or augmented chord is retained. For C13, this version removes the fifth and ninth but keeps the root, third, seventh and thirteenth. For C11, it offers a suspended sound without the third or ninth. Omitted degrees are always listed below the selector.

05 / ONE MORE NOTE

Understand seventh chords: 7, maj7 and m7

Compare C7, Cmaj7 and Cm7, listening especially to the final note. The first contains B♭, the second B natural. In Cm7, the third also drops: E becomes E♭. Thirds and sevenths are useful landmarks for recognising a chord’s colour.

Try G7 followed by C. In this C-major resolution, B tends towards C and F towards E. First play just these two voices to hear the movement, then add the root.

06 / OTHER COLOURS

Sus2, sus4, diminished and augmented chords

In Csus2, D replaces E; in Csus4, F replaces E. These chords have no third, so they are neither major nor minor in the usual sense. Play Csus4–C to hear F move down to E.

A diminished chord narrows the fifth: Cdim contains C–E♭–G♭. An augmented chord widens it: Caug contains C–E–G♯. Cdim7 and Cm7♭5 then differ in their seventh: B♭♭ in the former, B♭ in the latter.

07 / ENRICHING HARMONY

Advanced chords: add9, 9, 11, 13 and alterations

A ninth is a second one octave higher; an eleventh corresponds to a fourth and a thirteenth to a sixth, also beyond the octave. Above C, D is the ninth, F the eleventh and A the thirteenth. These notes enrich the chord without replacing its root.

Do not confuse Cadd9 and C9: add9 adds D to the triad without a seventh. C9 also includes B♭. Cmaj9 contains B natural; Cm9 contains E♭ and B♭. Hear them in sequence to compare their colours.

C11 theoretically includes E and F, which can produce a strong clash. Arrangements often change the spacing or omit the third; C9sus4 explicitly names a suspension. For C13, the selector offers a voicing without the eleventh: C–E–G–B♭–D–A. This is one possible realisation.

An alteration specifies which note to change: in G7(♭9), lower the ninth A to A♭. In accompaniment, start with the third and seventh, then add the requested colour. Complete chords here explain their construction; some notes can later be omitted to suit the context.

08 / FIND A COMFORTABLE POSITION

Inversions, bass notes and sharing between hands

All three positions contain the same C-major notes. Changing the bass can bring your hand closer to the next chord. C/E asks for E in the bass; C/G asks for G. C/D instead places D below a C chord: it is not an inversion of the triad because D is not part of C–E–G.

For five- or six-note chords, use both hands. Start with the root alone in your left hand and the other notes in your right. Another approach places root and seventh in the left hand, with third and extensions in the right. Find a comfortable shape rather than stretching.

Fingering depends on your hand, register and next chord. For root-position C major, right-hand 1–3–5 or left-hand 5–3–1 is a possible starting point. Adapt for black keys and inversions. Practise without pedal first so you can hear each note change.

09 / MAKING MUSIC WITH CHORDS

A simple exercise to remember your chords

Choose C, Am, F and G. Hold each chord for four beats at a slow tempo. Say its note names aloud, play them separately, then together. Repeat while keeping shared tones and moving the remaining notes as little as possible.

Next, compare Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 for jazz, or C7–F7–G7 to prepare a blues. The chord generator helps you find a progression; this page helps you understand and play each chord within it.