Chord Finder: What Chord Am I Playing?
A guitar chord finder for "what chord am I playing?": tap the frets you hold and it names the chord, lists its notes and gives the other names the same shape goes by.
Tap the frets you hold: the name updates on every tap. ○ = open string, × = not played.
Chord finder
Shape x 3 2 0 1 0C major: C E G.
- 5 C root
- 4 E major 3rd
- 3 G 5th
- 2 C root
- 1 E major 3rd
How the chord finder names a chord
- Each played string gives one note: the open string's note plus one semitone per fret (standard tuning).
- Repeated notes count once. x 3 2 0 1 0 plays C E G C E: three different notes.
- Every note is tried as the root, against every chord formula below. A match must use exactly the notes you play; 7th and 9th chords may leave out the 5th.
- Complete chords rank above incomplete ones, and a root in the bass ranks above a slash chord. Ties go to the more common chord type.
Same shape, different names
| Shape (6 → 1) | Main name | Also |
|---|---|---|
| x 0 2 0 1 0 | Am7 | C6/A |
| x 0 2 2 0 0 | Asus2 | Esus4/A · B7sus4/A (no 5th) |
| x x 0 2 3 3 | Dsus4 | Gsus2/D · A7sus4/D (no 5th) |
| x 3 2 0 3 0 | Cadd9 | |
| 0 3 2 0 1 0 | C/E | |
| x 3 4 2 4 x | Cdim7 | F♯dim7/C · Adim7/C |
Chord types it recognises
Shown on C. Degrees count up the major scale of the root; ♭ = one semitone lower. Shapes for every chord: chord directory.
| Chord | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C | major 1, major 3rd, 5th | C E G |
| Cm | minor 1, minor 3rd, 5th | C E♭ G |
| C7 | dominant 7th 1, major 3rd, 5th, ♭7 | C E G B♭ |
| Cm7 | minor 7th 1, minor 3rd, 5th, ♭7 | C E♭ G B♭ |
| Cmaj7 | major 7th 1, major 3rd, 5th, major 7th | C E G B |
| Csus4 | suspended 4th 1, 4th, 5th | C F G |
| Csus2 | suspended 2nd 1, 2nd, 5th | C D G |
| C5 | power chord (no 3rd) 1, 5th | C G |
| Cadd9 | added 9th 1, 9th, major 3rd, 5th | C D E G |
| C6 | major 6th 1, major 3rd, 5th, 6th | C E G A |
| Cm6 | minor 6th 1, minor 3rd, 5th, 6th | C E♭ G A |
| C7sus4 | dominant 7th suspended 4th 1, 4th, 5th, ♭7 | C F G B♭ |
| Cmadd9 | minor added 9th 1, 9th, minor 3rd, 5th | C D E♭ G |
| C9 | dominant 9th 1, 9th, major 3rd, 5th, ♭7 | C D E G B♭ |
| Cm9 | minor 9th 1, 9th, minor 3rd, 5th, ♭7 | C D E♭ G B♭ |
| Cmaj9 | major 9th 1, 9th, major 3rd, 5th, major 7th | C D E G B |
| C6/9 | major 6/9 1, 9th, major 3rd, 5th, 6th | C D E G A |
| Cdim | diminished 1, minor 3rd, ♭5 | C E♭ G♭ |
| Cm7b5 | half-diminished (minor 7 flat 5) 1, minor 3rd, ♭5, ♭7 | C E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| Cdim7 | diminished 7th 1, minor 3rd, ♭5, 𝄫7 | C E♭ G♭ B♭b |
| Caug | augmented 1, major 3rd, ♯5 | C E G♯ |
| CmMaj7 | minor-major 7th 1, minor 3rd, 5th, major 7th | C E♭ G B |
FAQ
Why does the finder show more than one name?
Some note sets are two chords at once. x 0 2 0 1 0 plays A C E G, which is Am7 but also C6/A. The first name is the likeliest reading: a complete chord with its root in the bass. The others are worth knowing when a chord chart uses them.
What does a chord with a slash mean, like C/E?
The letter after the slash is the bass note, the lowest note you play. C/E is a C major chord with E on the bottom: x 3 2 0 1 0 with the low E string played open as well (0 3 2 0 1 0).
What does "no 5th" mean?
The 5th of a chord adds little colour, so in 7th and 9th chords guitarists often leave it out to free a finger or a string. C7 played x 3 2 3 1 x has no G, and still sounds and works as C7.
Does it work for alternate tunings?
This finder names shapes in standard tuning (E A D G B E). For open tunings, the tuning pages show the common chord shapes.
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