Beginner guides
Chords
made practical.
A chord is a formula in semitones before it is a hand shape, which is why one explanation covers all twelve roots. Read the theory here, then open the chord finder to hear any of the 108 chords and see the keys highlighted.
Choose your next practice step
Learn your first six piano chords
Begin with C, F and G major, then A, D and E minor. These shapes use white keys, making it easier to check the notes while you learn to move between chords. Practise a comfortable change slowly before adding more shapes to your routine.
Hear major and minor
Compare two chords on the same root to hear what changing the third does. The guide explains the semitone formulas and note names, while the chord finder lets you check each example. Say the notes aloud as you play so the formula connects to the sound.
Make changes smaller with inversions
Once you know the notes, choose a different chord tone for the bass. The inversion guide includes C major and A minor charts plus a C-to-F exercise that keeps one note in place. It also explains slash chords and why moving everything up an octave preserves the inversion.
See which chords belong together
The circle of fifths shows the six common chords of any key side by side: the key, its two neighbours and the three minor keys inside them. Click a key to hear its chords, see its key signature and play a I–V–vi–IV progression.
A route through your first chords
Chord learning goes faster when you separate the idea from the shape. A chord is first a formula — intervals stacked above a root — and only second a hand position on the keys. Learn what changes between a major and a minor chord by ear and by semitone count, and all twelve roots become one skill instead of twelve separate ones.
From there, take the chords you know into real changes. Pick two chords, slow enough that the move between them is silent, and loop them until you stop watching your hands. The basic piano chords guide gives you the first six shapes to loop; the inversions guide shows how to keep each change small by moving the fewest notes.
The chord finder plays every chord and highlights its keys, so any example in these guides can be heard before it is practised. Say the note names out loud as you play them — the formula sticks faster when you hear it, say it and see it at the same time.
Piano Chord Inversions: Notes, Chart and Practice
Learn piano chord inversions with C major and A minor note charts, slash-chord examples and a short practice routine for smoother chord changes.
Read guide →Major and Minor Chords Explained Simply
Major chords and minor chords on piano: the semitone formulas, all twelve of each with their notes, how to hear the difference and where they come from.
Read guide →