Learn Chords – Free Chord Theory & Charts for Guitar, Ukulele, Piano and Bass

Lesson 1

What is a chord?

A chord is three or more different notes played together. Melody is notes one after another; harmony is notes at the same time, and chords are how we name and organise that harmony.

Almost every chord is built the same way: pick a starting note, called the root, then add notes above it at set distances. Change those distances and the mood changes: bright, sad, tense or dreamy.

The chord name tells you everything. In Cm7, C is the root, m says the third is lowered (minor), and 7 says to add a seventh.

Lesson 2

Notes & steps

Western music uses 12 notes that repeat in a loop. The distance from one note to the next is a half step (one fret on guitar, one key on piano, black or white). Two half steps make a whole step.

C
C♯/D♭
D
D♯/E♭
E
F
F♯/G♭
G
G♯/A♭
A
A♯/B♭
B

♯ (sharp) raises a note a half step and ♭ (flat) lowers it, so C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch with two names. After B the loop starts again at C.

We measure chords in intervals, the number of half steps above the root. The ones you need first:

Interval	Half steps	From C
Minor 3rd (♭3)	3	E♭
Major 3rd (3)	4	E
Perfect 4th (4)	5	F
Diminished 5th (♭5)	6	G♭
Perfect 5th (5)	7	G
Augmented 5th (♯5)	8	G♯
Minor 7th (♭7)	10	B♭
Major 7th (7)	11	B

Lesson 3

Building triads

The triad is the basic three-note chord: a root, a third and a fifth. The third decides whether the chord sounds major or minor, and the fifth keeps it stable (or not). Here are the four triads built on C. The piano shows each one, with the R marking the root.

Major C

1 – 3 – 5

CEG

Bright and stable. A major third with a perfect fifth on top.

Minor Cm

1 – ♭3 – 5

CE♭G

Darker and more serious. Lower the major third by one half step.

Diminished Cdim

1 – ♭3 – ♭5

CE♭G♭

Tense and unresolved. Two minor thirds stacked.

Augmented Caug

1 – 3 – ♯5

CEG♯

Dreamy and restless. Two major thirds stacked.

To build any triad: start on the root, count half steps for the third and fifth (major = 4 then 3 more, minor = 3 then 4 more), and spell each note with the next letter of the alphabet: C, E, G, not C, F♭, G.

Lesson 4

Sevenths & suspended chords

Add a fourth note, the seventh, and a triad gets richer and more colourful. Suspended chords swap the third for the second or fourth, which leaves them neither major nor minor, so they feel open and unresolved.

Dominant 7th C7

1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7

CEGB♭

A major chord with a bluesy flat seventh. It wants to resolve.

Major 7th Cmaj7

1 – 3 – 5 – 7

CEGB

Lush and dreamy. A major chord with the major seventh added.

Minor 7th Cm7

1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7

CE♭GB♭

Smooth and mellow. A minor chord with a flat seventh.

Suspended 2nd Csus2

1 – 2 – 5

CDG

Open and airy. The third is replaced by the second.

Suspended 4th Csus4

1 – 4 – 5

CFG

Hanging and expectant. The third is replaced by the fourth.

Chord charts

Find any chord

Pick an instrument, a root and a chord type. Every chart is generated from the chord formula, so the notes are always spelled correctly.

Root

Type

C C major

CRE3G5

Bright and stable. A major third with a perfect fifth on top.

Chord charts

How to read a chart

Guitar, ukulele & bass

The chart is the neck as if you stood the guitar upright and faced it. Strings run left to right from lowest to highest, and frets run top to bottom.
A dot is where a finger presses. The number inside shows which chord tone it is: R root, 3 third, 5 fifth.
○ above a string means play it open. × means do not play it.
A bar across several strings is a barre: lay one finger flat across them. 3fr beside the chart means the chart starts at the 3rd fret.
Bass charts show every chord tone in one hand position. Pick them out one at a time.

Piano

Highlighted keys are the notes to press together. Two octaves are shown, starting at C.
The darker key is the root. The labels show each note's job in the chord.
Moving the same shape up one key makes the same type of chord on the next root.

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