Piano Chord Chart

A dot marks a key to play. The labels identify those pitches; a sharp (♯) raises a written note by one semitone, and a flat (♭) lowers it by one semitone.

C4 means middle C. The number after a note is its octave, not a finger number. The diagrams use the same C3–C5 window so you can compare positions. A note such as C♭4 keeps the octave of its written C even though it uses the B3 key.

A root note names the chord’s tonal starting point; the chord type tells you the interval pattern above that root. For example, A is the root in both A major and A minor, while the type changes the third.

Root position places the root as the lowest note. An inversion keeps the same chord tones but places another chord tone lowest. Right-hand and left-hand fingerings are performance examples for a particular voicing, not additional chord types.

A note name identifies a pitch class, an octave number identifies its register, a scale degree describes the note’s place in a scale or chord formula, and a finger number identifies a digit on one hand.

1. Read the chord name and its note list. A symbol such as Am names the root A and the minor chord type.
2. Match the marked keys to the labels. Notes are listed from lowest to highest.
3. Use Play chord to hear the notes together, or Play notes one at a time to hear the same notes in ascending order.
4. Compare the keyboard image with the printed note list before playing it on your instrument.