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New Released in April 2026
Open vs Closed Chords: How Spacing Changes the Sound
Open vs closed chords is about spacing. A closed chord, or close position, keeps all its notes inside one octave: C E G. An open chord voicing spreads them wider than an octave, for example C G E with the E up high. Same chord, different colour.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Turn a closed chord into an open one
- Start closed: C E G, all within one octave.
- Lift the middle note an octave: C G E. Now there is a gap inside the chord.
- Or split the hands: C and G in the left hand, E and C in the right.
Why players use open voicings
Closed chords low on the piano sound muddy, because the notes crowd together. Open voicings give each note room, so the chord sounds bigger and clearer. Choirs and string sections almost always sing and play open voicings for this reason.
Open vs Closed Chords: How Spacing Changes the Sound
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.
Play the demoWatch out: "open chord" on guitar
Guitarists use the words differently. An open chord on guitar is a shape that uses open strings, like G, C or Em in the first frets. Most of those shapes are open voicings too, because the six strings spread the notes over two octaves, but the name comes from the strings, not the spacing.
Practise both
Play each chord of a progression closed, then open, and listen. ChordRunner accepts any voicing as the right chord, open or closed, doubled notes included, so you can choose the spacing you want while the game checks that every note belongs to the chord.
The levels in ChordRunner
- Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
- Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
- Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
- Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.
Common questions
What is the difference between open and closed chords?
Spacing. A closed chord has all its notes within one octave; an open chord spreads them over more than an octave, leaving gaps between the notes.
What is an open chord voicing?
A way of playing a chord with its notes spread wider than an octave, for example C G E instead of C E G. It sounds fuller and clearer, especially in the low register.
Are guitar open chords open voicings?
Usually, but the name means something else: a guitar open chord uses open strings. The spacing just happens to be open in most of those shapes.
Which instruments work?
A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.
How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?
Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.
Is everything in the demo?
The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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