Play ChordRunner

Learn › Piano Chord Finder with Inversions and Jazz Voicings

New Released in April 2026

Piano Chord Finder with Inversions and Jazz Voicings

This piano chord finder shows any chord on a virtual keyboard: pick a root and a chord type and see it in root position, 1st and 2nd inversion, a two-hand jazz voicing, and five voicing styles (A Form, B Form, Drop 2, Drop 3, Spread). They are the exact shapes ChordRunner shows on its practice keyboard.

Play the demo

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
ChordRunner on a tablet showing a Bbmaj7 chord block, next to an acoustic guitar, above a piano being played

Piano chord finder: pick a chord, see the notes

A virtual piano for 12 chord types in all 12 keys. Choose a root, a chord type and a view. Blue keys are the left hand, green keys the right hand, gold keys a one-hand shape.

Root
Chord
View

Left hand Right hand One hand

Cmaj7 in nine shapes

One chord, nine ways to put it under your hands. The notes are always C, E, G and B; what changes is which note sits in the bass and how the notes are spread between your hands. Octave numbers follow the usual convention where C4 is middle C.

ViewLeft handRight handWhat it is
Root-C4 E4 G4 B4Root in the bass, notes stacked close above it
1st Inv-E4 G4 B4 C5The 3rd in the bass
2nd Inv-G3 B3 C4 E4The 5th in the bass
Shell voicingC3 B3E4 G4LH root + 7th, RH the 3rd and colour tones
A FormC3E3 G3 B3LH root, RH from the 3rd up
B FormC3B3 E4 G4LH root, RH from the 7th up
Drop 2C3 E3B3 G4B Form with its second voice from the top moved to the LH
Drop 3C3 E3G3 B3A Form with its third voice from the top moved to the LH
SpreadC3 G3B3 E4LH root + 5th, RH from the 7th up
ChordRunner on a laptop, a tablet and a phone, each showing a Cm7 chord block, above a piano being played

Inversions: same notes, new bass

A chord inversion keeps the notes and changes which one is lowest. In root position the root is at the bottom; in 1st inversion the 3rd is; in 2nd inversion the 5th is. Inversions let your hand move a step instead of a leap between chords, which is why pianists use them constantly.

Chords with five or more notes (9ths, 13ths) do not fit one hand, so ChordRunner splits them: the bass note in the left hand, the rest in the right. The full theory, with every triad, is in our guide to piano chord inversions.

Jazz voicings with two hands

Jazz pianists rarely play a chord as a stack of thirds. They split it: a low root (and sometimes a guide tone) in the left hand, the 3rd, 7th and colour tones in the right. ChordRunner builds those shapes with one fixed rule set, so a C9 and an F#9 look alike under your fingers, and every shape is checked against the game's own chord recognition before it is shown.

  • Shell voicing: LH root + 7th (root + 6th on 6 chords, root + 5th on triads and add9), RH the 3rd and colour tones. The classic shell sound.
  • A Form: LH root, RH from the 3rd up (3-5-7-9).
  • B Form: LH root, RH from the 7th up (7-9-3-5). Same notes as A Form, brighter top.
  • Drop 2: the B Form with its second voice from the top moved down into the left hand. Wider, more open.
  • Drop 3: the A Form with its third voice from the top moved into the left hand (triads: RH 5-3-5).
  • Spread: LH root + 5th, RH from the 7th up. A big, orchestral sound.

Rootless shapes, where the bass player covers the root, have their own guide: rootless voicings on piano.

From looking to playing

Seeing a voicing is step one. ChordRunner is a browser game you play with a real instrument: a chord appears on screen, you play it, and your runner jumps. It makes you play the shape until your hands know it.

  1. Practise with no pressure

    In the practice mode of ChordRunner Premium there are no lives and no penalties. The keyboard shows the chord tones as you play, with the same root position, inversion, shell voicing and jazz style choices you used above.

  2. Play it on your instrument

    A USB MIDI keyboard is detected automatically. No keyboard? The microphone listens to your acoustic piano or guitar. Any voicing of the right notes counts.

  3. Take it into a run

    Set the game to wait on each chord, and one tap shows the current chord on the same keyboard whenever you need it, right in the middle of a run.

Play a chord now

Common questions

What is the difference between a chord inversion and a voicing?

An inversion changes which chord note is lowest: the 3rd in 1st inversion, the 5th in 2nd inversion. A voicing is any way of arranging the notes, including spreading them over two hands, leaving some out or doubling others. Every inversion is a voicing, but most jazz voicings are not simple inversions.

What is a Drop 2 voicing?

A Drop 2 voicing takes a four-note chord in close position and moves the second-highest note down an octave, which opens the chord up. In ChordRunner, Drop 2 starts from the B Form right hand and moves its second voice from the top into the left hand, next to the root.

What are A Form and B Form voicings?

Both keep the root in the left hand. The A Form right hand starts from the 3rd (3-5-7-9); the B Form right hand starts from the 7th (7-9-3-5). They use the same notes in a different order, so switching between them lets the top note move smoothly from chord to chord.

Do I need a MIDI keyboard to practise these chords?

No. The chord finder works in any browser. To practise in the game you can use a USB MIDI keyboard, which is detected automatically, or play an acoustic piano or guitar into your microphone. Any voicing of the right notes counts.

Is this in the ChordRunner demo?

The demo has limited content. Browsing any chord with these shapes, with no lives and no penalties, is one of the advanced features in ChordRunner Premium. The chord finder on this page is open to everyone.

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.

Try the demo

Keep learning

Chord Inversions Explained

Chord inversions explained simply: root position, first and second inversion, why they matter, and how to dril…

Rootless Voicings Explained

Why jazz pianists drop the root, how rootless voicings work, and a game toggle that accepts and drills rootles…

Extended Chords: 9ths, 11ths, 13ths

How 9th, 11th and 13th chords are built, what to leave out, and a game that drills every extension on your MID…

Chord Training That Feels Like a Game

Interactive chord training in your browser. Play major, minor, 7th and extended chords on a MIDI keyboard or a…

Master All 12 Major Chords on Piano

Every major chord on piano with notes and fingering, plus an interactive game that drills all 12 until they ar…

Master All 12 Minor Chords on Piano

All 12 minor chords on piano, how they differ from major, and a game that trains instant recall with your MIDI…