catalogue
Every chord
17 roots × 22 types × 3 instruments. Both spellings of each black key are here as separate pages, because C♯ major and D♭ major are the same sound and two different pieces of notation.
guitarukulelepianoname a chord from its notes
17 × 22
The 22 types
Cmajor — A major third and a perfect fifth over the root.Cmminor — The major triad with its third lowered by a half step.Cdimdiminished — Two minor thirds stacked. The fifth is diminished, so it cannot be dropped without losing the chord.Caugaugmented — Two major thirds stacked. Symmetrical: every note can be heard as the root.C5power chord — Root and fifth, no third at all — neither major nor minor, which is the point.Csus2suspended second — The third replaced by the second. Nothing in it decides between major and minor.Csus4suspended fourth — The third replaced by the fourth, which leans on the third it is standing in for.C6major sixth — A major triad with a sixth added. The same four notes as a minor seventh chord a third below.Cm6minor sixth — A minor triad with a major sixth added, which is why it is not simply a minor chord with a flat seventh.C7dominant seventh — Major triad, minor seventh. The chord that wants to resolve a fourth up.Cmaj7major seventh — Major triad with a major seventh: a half step below the root, an octave up.Cm7minor seventh — Minor triad with a minor seventh. The same four notes as a major sixth chord a third above.Cm(maj7)minor major seventh — Minor triad, major seventh — the tonic chord of harmonic minor.Cdim7diminished seventh — Three minor thirds stacked. The seventh is doubly diminished, which is why it is written with a double flat.Cm7♭5half-diminished seventh — A diminished triad with a minor seventh rather than a diminished one — half diminished, and not the same chord as dim7.C7sus4dominant seventh suspended fourth — A dominant seventh with the fourth standing in for the third.Cadd9added ninth — A major triad with a ninth added and no seventh — which is what tells it apart from a ninth chord.C9dominant ninth — A dominant seventh carrying a ninth on top.Cmaj9major ninth — A major seventh with a ninth on top.Cm9minor ninth — A minor seventh with a ninth on top.C11dominant eleventh — Six notes in theory; in practice the third is usually dropped, because the eleventh sits a half step above it.C13dominant thirteenth — Seven notes in theory and four or five in anyone’s hands: root, third, seventh and thirteenth carry it.