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New Released in April 2026

Piano Chords: Every Chord, Beginner to Pro

Piano chords are groups of notes played together: three for a triad, four or more for 7th and extended chords. Every chord is built from a root and a recipe, so once you know the recipe you can play it in all 12 keys. Below: every major and minor piano chord, the chords of each level from beginner to pro, and how to play them.

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 running on a phone next to an acoustic guitar, above a piano being played

Piano chords by level

Beginner: triads

C C E G
Cm C Eb G
Caug C E G#
Cdim C Eb Gb

Intermediate: sus and 6th chords

Csus2 C D G
Csus4 C F G
C6 C E G A
Cadd9 C E G D

Advanced: 7th and 9th chords

Cmaj7 C E G B
C7 C E G Bb
Cm7 C Eb G Bb
Cm7b5 C Eb Gb Bb
C9 C E G Bb D

Pro: 11th, 13th and altered chords

C11 C E G Bb D F
C13 C E G Bb D F A
C7#9 C E G Bb D#

All major and minor piano chords

The 24 chords every pianist uses most. Click a chord for its keyboard, inversions and fingering.

RootMajor chordNotesMinor chordNotes
C CC E G CmC Eb G
C# C#C# E# G# C#mC# E G#
D DD F# A DmD F A
Eb EbEb G Bb EbmEb Gb Bb
E EE G# B EmE G B
F FF A C FmF Ab C
F# F#F# A# C# F#mF# A C#
G GG B D GmG Bb D
Ab AbAb C Eb AbmAb Cb Eb
A AA C# E AmA C E
Bb BbBb D F BbmBb Db F
B BB D# F# BmB D F#

How to play piano chords

Right hand

Play a triad with the thumb (1), middle finger (3) and little finger (5). For 7th chords use 1, 2, 3 and 5. Keep the fingers curved and press all keys at the same moment.

Left hand

Start with the root note alone, low on the keyboard, while the right hand plays the chord. Later play the root and fifth, or the full chord with fingers 5, 3 and 1.

Inversions

The same notes in a different order are still the same chord. C E G, E G C and G C E are all C major; moving between inversions keeps your hand close to the next chord. See chord inversions.

Chord symbols

The letter is the root, the rest is the type: m = minor, 7 = dominant 7th, maj7 = major 7th, dim = diminished, sus4 = suspended 4th. The piano chord chart lists all 288 chords with their formulas.

ChordRunner on a laptop, a tablet and a phone, each showing a Cm7 chord block, above a piano

Practise piano chords by playing

ChordRunner shows a chord, you play it on your piano, it hears you. Beginner to pro, all 12 keys.

MIDI keyboard or microphone

USB MIDI keyboard detected automatically; an acoustic piano works through the microphone.

Any voicing counts

Root position, inversions or spread chords.

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Common questions

How many piano chords are there?

Every chord type exists in all 12 keys. The 24 major and minor chords are the core; with 7ths, sus, 6ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths and altered chords the game library has 288 chords, plus inversions.

What piano chords should I learn first?

The major and minor triads: C, F, G, Am, Dm and Em first, then the other keys. After that the three main 7th chords: major 7th, dominant 7th and minor 7th.

How do you read piano chord symbols?

The letter is the root and the rest is the type: m is minor, 7 dominant 7th, maj7 major 7th, dim diminished, sus4 suspended 4th. Cm7 is a C minor 7th chord: C, Eb, G, Bb.

How can I practise piano chords?

Play them in mixed order, in every key, with instant feedback. In ChordRunner a chord appears and you play it on a MIDI keyboard or an acoustic piano into the microphone, beginner to pro.

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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