- Chord Detector
- Chord identifier
Chord identifier
What chord is this? Free chord identifier for any notes
Pick the notes on a piano or a guitar and this chord identifier names the chord, spells its notes and draws a guitar diagram. Nothing to install and no sign up: it runs in your browser.
Click or tap the keys you play. Arrow keys move along the keyboard and Space switches a key on or off. The lowest key counts as the bass. On a small screen, swipe the keyboard sideways.
Standard tuning, with the low E string at the bottom. Click a fret on each string you play and leave the rest on the cross. Click a lit fret again to mute that string. On a small screen, swipe the neck sideways to reach higher frets.
- Piano keyboard
- Guitar fretboard
- Inversions and slash chords
- Nothing leaves your browser
At a glance
- 22chord types named, from major and minor to ninths and half-diminished
- 2 octavesof piano keys, C4 to B5, with the lowest key as the bass
- 12 fretson each of the six strings in standard tuning, plus mute
- $0free, no account, and no notes are uploaded
The short answer
In short
A chord identifier works out the name of a chord from the notes you are playing. Enter the notes on the piano or guitar above and it returns the best chord name, other names for the same notes, the notes themselves and a diagram. You may also know it as a chord finder or chord namer.
The result
What a chord identifier tells you
It answers one question: which chord do these notes make? Give it C, E, G and A with the C at the bottom and it answers C6, then lists Am7/C as a second name for the same four notes.
Besides the name, the result card shows the notes spelled the way a musician writes them (Db in a Db chord, not C#), the interval formula such as 1 b3 5 b7, and a guitar chord diagram. When your lowest note is not the root, the name gets a slash, as in C/E.
This is the reverse of a chord dictionary. A dictionary starts from a name and lists notes. The identifier starts from notes and finds the name, which helps when a shape is under your fingers and you do not know what it is called. To get the chords of a whole recording instead, use the chord detector.
Notes of C6, root first
- C
- E
- G
- A
How to use it
How to find a chord on piano and on guitar
Four steps, the same on both instruments except for step two. Your picks on each instrument are kept while you switch tabs, so you can compare a piano voicing with a guitar shape.
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Choose piano or guitar
The tabs at the top of the tool switch the input. Use the piano for any chord you can spell, and the guitar when you have a fingering to name.
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Enter the notes you play
On the piano, click or tap each key. On the guitar, click one fret per string and leave muted strings on the cross. Notes in different octaves count once.
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Read the best match
The large name is the chord whose root is your lowest note. If another chord fits the same notes it appears under Same notes, other names.
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Check the diagram, then clear
On the guitar tab the diagram shows your own fingering when it fits within five frets, and a standard shape otherwise. Press Clear to try the next chord.
Two instruments
Piano and guitar: what to watch for
The two inputs feed the same lookup. What differs is how the bass note is found and how many notes you can enter.
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Piano: the lowest key is the bass
On a chord finder piano keyboard like this one, C4 and C5 are the same note to the lookup, so only the lowest key and the set of letter names matter. C, E and G with E at the bottom is C/E, and the same keys with C at the bottom is plain C. Black keys are named with sharps and the chord spells them its own way.
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Guitar chord finder: one note per string
Each string sounds one note, from open to fret 12, in standard tuning E A D G B E. The bass is the lowest sounding note, which is not always the lowest string: low E at fret 12 sounds higher than the open A string. A note doubled on two strings counts once.
Reference
Chord types and the notes they contain, built on C
The identifier knows 22 chord types. Each is a fixed pattern of intervals above the root, so move the pattern to any root and the formula stays the same: D7 uses 1 3 5 b7 and gives D F# A C.
| Chord type | Symbol on C | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | C | 1 3 5 | C E G |
| Minor | Cm | 1 b3 5 | C Eb G |
| Power chord | C5 | 1 5 | C G |
| Suspended fourth | Csus4 | 1 4 5 | C F G |
| Suspended second | Csus2 | 1 2 5 | C D G |
| Diminished | Cdim | 1 b3 b5 | C Eb Gb |
| Augmented | Caug | 1 3 #5 | C E G# |
| Dominant seventh | C7 | 1 3 5 b7 | C E G Bb |
| Major seventh | Cmaj7 | 1 3 5 7 | C E G B |
| Minor seventh | Cm7 | 1 b3 5 b7 | C Eb G Bb |
| Major sixth | C6 | 1 3 5 6 | C E G A |
| Minor sixth | Cm6 | 1 b3 5 6 | C Eb G A |
| Half-diminished seventh | Cm7b5 | 1 b3 b5 b7 | C Eb Gb Bb |
| Diminished seventh | Cdim7 | 1 b3 b5 bb7 | C Eb Gb A |
| Major add nine | Cadd9 | 1 3 5 9 | C E G D |
| Minor add nine | Cmadd9 | 1 b3 5 9 | C Eb G D |
| Suspended seventh | C7sus4 | 1 4 5 b7 | C F G Bb |
| Dominant ninth | C9 | 1 3 5 b7 9 | C E G Bb D |
| Major ninth | Cmaj9 | 1 3 5 7 9 | C E G B D |
| Minor ninth | Cm9 | 1 b3 5 b7 9 | C Eb G Bb D |
| Dominant seventh flat five | C7b5 | 1 3 b5 b7 | C E Gb Bb |
| Dominant seventh sharp five | C7#5 | 1 3 #5 b7 | C E G# Bb |
Guitar shapes
What chord is this? Common shapes, named
Enter the frets in the Guitar tab, or look the shape up below. Each shape is written from the low E string to the high E string, with x for a muted string, and each name comes from running those frets through the identifier.
| Frets | Notes, lowest first | Chord name |
|---|---|---|
| x32010 | C E G | C |
| 320003 | G B D | G |
| xx0232 | D F# A | D |
| 022100 | E G# B | E |
| 022000 | E G B | Em |
| x02210 | A C E | Am |
| 133211 | F A C | F |
| xx0212 | D F# A C | D7 |
| x02010 | A C E G | Am7also C6/A |
| x02230 | A D E | Asus4also Dsus2/A |
| x32310 | C E A# | No exact matchnearest: C7, add G |
The last row is deliberate. x32310 is the open C7 grip most players know, but it sounds only C, E and Bb (the tool lists Bb as A#). With no G in it, it is not an exact C7, so the identifier shows C7 as the nearest chord and says the fifth is missing instead of naming it outright.
The sus rows show the same thing as C6 and Am7: A, D and E are Asus4 with A at the bottom, yet the identical notes are Dsus2/A when read from D. Which name a song uses depends on the chords around it.
Terms
Chord, inversion and slash chord in plain words
- Root
- The note a chord is named after. In C major it is C. When the lowest note you play is the root, the chord is in root position and has no slash.
- Inversion
- The same notes with a different one at the bottom. C E G is root position, E G C is first inversion and G C E is second inversion.
- Slash chord
- A name with the bass after a slash. C/E means C major over an E. The identifier writes every inversion this way, so you see the bass in the name.
- Enharmonic spelling
- C# and Db are one key on the piano. The identifier names roots the way they are usually written, Db major but C# minor, and spells the other notes for the chord’s own root.
Worked example
Why one set of notes can have two chord names
The same notes get a different name when a different note is lowest. Play C, E, G and A with the C at the bottom and the chord is C6: a C major triad with a sixth added. Move the A to the bottom and it is Am7: an A minor triad with a seventh.
Neither name is wrong. The notes are identical, and only the context says which one a song means. In a C major song the chord is usually C6, and in A minor it is usually Am7.
How the identifier chooses
It ranks every chord whose notes match exactly. First comes the chord whose root is your lowest note, then the simpler chord type, then the root nearest above the bass. The rest are listed as other names, written as slash chords.
Symmetrical chords go further. C, Eb, Gb and A fit Cdim7, Ebdim7, Gbdim7 and Adim7 equally, and C, E and G# fit Caug, Eaug and Abaug. Your bass note picks the lead name and the others follow it.
| Lowest note | Best match | Also named |
|---|---|---|
| C | C6root position | Am7/C |
| E | Am7/Esecond inversion | C6/E |
| G | Am7/Gthird inversion | C6/G |
| A | Am7root position | C6/A |
Limits
When the answer is no match
The identifier names a chord only when your notes match one of its 22 types exactly. Otherwise it says so, lists the nearest chords with the note to add or drop, and never makes up a name.
Gets a name
- Major, minor, diminished, augmented and suspended triads, in any inversion.
- Sixths, sevenths, add9 chords and ninths, including the half-diminished seventh.
- Power chords: two notes, a root and its fifth, are the only two-note chord it names.
- Any chord spread over several octaves, because octaves collapse to one note.
Comes back as no match
- A known chord with a note left out, such as C7 without its fifth.
- Chords outside the 22 types: elevenths, thirteenths and minor-major sevenths.
- Clusters of neighbouring notes, such as C, D and E with nothing else.
- A single note, or two notes that are not a root and its fifth.
From one chord to a song
Need the chords of a whole song, not one shape?
The identifier works from notes you pick. Chord Detector works from a recording: paste a public YouTube link or upload an MP3, WAV, OGG, M4A or FLAC file, and it returns the chords of the track, placed above the lyrics on one song page.
A recording is harder than a keyboard. Drums, bass, vocals and overtones all sound at once, so naming the chords means listening, which a trained model does. Naming picked notes is a lookup, and it is exact when the notes are right.
Without an account you get the chords of the first 60 seconds plus the key, tempo and time signature of the whole song, and the first full song is free with an account. If you only need the key, the song key finder takes the same upload, and the plans are on the pricing section of the home page.
Chord Detector
Chords above the lyrics, from a link or a file
- Key and BPM
- Guitar and ukulele diagrams
- Transpose
- ChordPro export
Detection is automatic: check the result by ear, especially where a song is ambiguous between major and minor.
More tools
Next: from one chord to a whole song
FAQ
Questions about naming chords
What is a chord identifier?
A chord identifier is a tool that names a chord from the notes you play. You choose the notes on a piano keyboard or a guitar fretboard, and it returns the chord name, the notes, the interval formula and a guitar diagram. It is also called a chord finder or chord namer.
How do I find a chord on guitar from the frets?
Open the Guitar tab, click the fret you press on each string, and leave muted strings on the cross. The identifier reads one note per string in standard tuning, takes the lowest sounding note as the bass and shows the best chord name. If you only have fret numbers such as x32010, enter them string by string from low E to high E.
Does it work offline, and are my notes sent anywhere?
The identification runs in your browser, and nothing you pick is uploaded or saved. We do not offer an app or an offline version, so the page itself has to load over a connection first.
Why does the same set of notes have two chord names, like C6 and Am7?
A chord name depends on which note is the root, and some note sets fit more than one root. C, E, G and A are C6 when C is the lowest note and Am7 when A is. The identifier puts the chord whose root is your lowest note first, then the simpler chord type, and lists the rest under Same notes, other names.
What does the slash in C/E mean?
The note after the slash is the lowest note. C/E is a C major chord with E in the bass, which is also called the first inversion of C. The identifier writes every chord whose lowest note is not its root this way.
Can it name the chords of a song or recording?
No: the identifier names only the notes you pick. To get the chords of a recording, paste a public YouTube link or upload an audio file to Chord Detector. Without an account you get the chords of the first 60 seconds plus the key, tempo and time signature of the whole song.
Why does it say there is no exact match?
Your notes do not spell any of the 22 chord types it knows, so it does not make up a name. A common cause is a missing note, such as C7 played without its fifth. The card then lists the nearest chords and tells you which note to add or drop.
Does it work for a ukulele or other guitar tunings?
The guitar fretboard assumes standard tuning. For a ukulele or another tuning, enter the notes you hear on the piano keyboard instead, which does not depend on tuning.
Name your next chord in a second
Use the chord identifier above for any notes you play, on the piano or the guitar, and read the name, the notes and a diagram straight away. When you want the chords of a whole song, Chord Detector reads them from a link or a file.
The name is exact for the notes you pick. Whether a song uses that name depends on the music, so check by ear.