How to identify a chord
- Choose your instrument. Guitar and ukulele show a fretboard in standard tuning; piano shows two octaves of keys.
- Enter the notes. Tap the fret you press on each string (or "open"), or press the piano keys. Tap a fret again to mute that string. You can also type note names, lowest first.
- Read the name. The most likely chord name appears at once, with its notes, its inversion and any other names the same notes can have.
- Listen. Press Play to hear what you entered and check it against your instrument.
A reverse chord lookup for guitar, ukulele and piano
A chord chart goes from a name to the notes: you look up G7 and see where your fingers go. This tool goes the other way. You enter what you play and get the name, so it works as a reverse chord lookup, also called a chord namer or a chord finder by notes.
- Piano chord identifier: press the keys you play, or type the note names lowest first (E G C). Inversions are named as slash chords, like C/E.
- Guitar and ukulele: tap the fret you press on each string, in standard tuning (E A D G B E on guitar, G C E A on ukulele).
- Need it the other way round? The chord builder goes from a chord name to every shape on guitar, piano and ukulele.
Worked examples: guitar shapes and their names
| Frets (low E → high E) | Chord | Notes | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| x32010 | C | C E G | |
| 022000 | Em | E G B | |
| 320003 | G | G B D | |
| xx0232 | D | D F♯ A | |
| 133211 | F | F A C | |
| x02210 | Am | A C E | |
| 032010 | C/E | C E G | 1st inversion |
| x32000 | Cmaj7 | C E G B |
"x" means the string is not played; 0 is an open string. Look at 032010: the same C chord shape with the open low E string in the bass becomes C/E, the 1st inversion.
Same notes, different names
Some note groups have more than one correct name. The tool lists the most likely first:
| Notes (lowest first) | Names, most likely first |
|---|---|
| C E G A | C6 · Am7/C |
| A C E G | Am7 · C6/A |
| C E♭ G♭ A | Cdim7 · D♯dim7/C · F♯dim7/C |
| C E G♯ | Caug · Eaug/C · A♭aug/C |
The bass note usually decides: C E G A with C in the bass is C6; A C E G with A in the bass is Am7. Diminished 7th chords repeat every minor 3rd, so Cdim7, D♯dim7 (also written E♭dim7), F♯dim7 (G♭dim7) and Adim7 contain the same four sounds.
Tips for naming chords
Start from the bass
The lowest note is usually the root. If the name only works with another root, it is an inversion or a slash chord.
Count the distances
4 semitones from the root is a major 3rd (major chord), 3 is a minor 3rd (minor chord); 10 semitones adds a minor 7th (C7), 11 a major 7th (Cmaj7).
Then move it
Found the chords of a song? Find its key with the key finder, or move it to another key with the chord transposer.