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How to Play ALL Piano Chords

(Major, Minor, 7ths)
PIANOTE / CHORD THEORY / UPDATED JUL 12, 2024

Play Any Chord On The Piano

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Chords lay the foundation for all music. If you

understand how chords work and how to play them,
you can unlock hundreds of songs. In this lesson,
we’ll teach you the formulas to all major, minor, and
seventh piano chords. You can also test your
knowledge with some pop quiz questions!

All Piano Chords: Table of

Contents

Chord Basics

Triads:

1. Major Chords
2. Minor Chords
3. Diminished Chords
4. Augmented Chords

7th Chords & Chord Extensions

1. Major 7th Chords

2. Dominant 7th Chords
3. Minor 7th Chords
4. Diminished 7th Chords
5. Half-diminished 7th Chords
6. Chord Extensions

Other Types of Chords:

1. Diatonic Chords
2. Slash Chords
3. “Sus” Chords
4. “Add” Chords

Free Chord Poster

Quiz Answers

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CHORD BASICS
It helps to know a few chord basics before we dive
into all the di!erent types of chords!

First of all, what is a chord? In general, a chord is

when you play many notes at the same time. The
notes have a harmonic relationship with each other.
Other terminology you should know:

Root: This is the note the chord is built on and

named after. For example, the root of Cmaj7 is C.
Broken: A chord that is played “broken” means
the notes are played apart, not altogether.
Solid: The opposite of broken chords, you play all
the notes in a solid chord at the same time.
Inversion: When we change the order of notes in
a chord stack, this is called an inversion. When a
chord is inverted, the root note will not be at the
bottom of the stack. Learn more about inversions
here.

TRIADS
The following chords are usually played as triads,
meaning they’re three-note chords. However,
sometimes musicians will play these as four-note
chords by doubling the root note.

Major Chords
Let’s start with one of the simplest and most popular
types of chords: major chords! Major chords sound
“happy” and are built on the first, third, and fifth
note of the major scale. If you know intervals, you
can also think of a major triad as being a minor third
on top of a major third. Here is a C major triad:

And here are all the major triads built on all twelve
tones, in root position:

C
C-E-G

D
D-F#-A

E
E-G#-B

F#
F#-A#-C#

A♭
A♭-C-E♭

B♭
B♭-D-F

D♭
D♭-F-A♭

E♭
E♭-G-B♭

F
F-A-C

G
G-B-D

A
A-C#-E

B
B-D#-F#

B AC K TO TO P

Minor Chords
The minor chord is a close relative of the major
chord. Minor chords sound “sad” and are built on
the, first, flat third, and fifth note of the major scale.
We flat the third by lowering that note a half-step. In
Cm, E becomes E♭. You can also look at this triad as
a major third over a minor third. Here is a C minor
triad:

And here are all the minor triads built on all twelve
tones, in root position:

Cm
C-E♭-G

Dm
D-F-A

Em
E-G-B

F#m
F#-A-C#

A♭m
A♭-C♭-E♭

B♭m
B♭-D♭-F

C#m
C#-E-G#

E♭m
E♭-G♭-B♭

Fm
F-A♭-C

Gm
G-B♭-D

Am
A-C-E

Bm
B-D-F#

B AC K TO TO P

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Diminished Chords
You can think of diminished chords as minor chords
that have been “shrunk.” Like the minor chord, the
third in this chord is lowered by a half-step. The
chord further “shrinks” because we also lower the
fifth by a half-step. The resulting chord can sound
jarring, but when used appropriately, adds a
dramatic flair to a song. Here’s a C diminished triad
in root position:

Augmented Chords
Augmented chords can be thought of as “wider” or
“bigger” than a major chord. In an augmented triad,
we take a major chord and raise the fifth by a half-
step. Here is a C augmented triad in root position:

Pop Quiz!

See if you can name what notes are in these chords.

Answers are at the bottom of this post.

1. E
2. Bdim
3. Faug

B AC K TO TO P

All Piano Chords…In One Free

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The Piano Chords & Scales book is one of our top-
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major, blues, pentatonic, and all three minor scales.
Plus major, minor, and 7th chords in all inversions,
and sus chords.

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7TH CHORDS &

CHORD
EXTENSIONS
You can play a lot of good music using just triads,
but seventh chords are where things get magical.
Seventh chords quickly jazz up a song because they
add an extra layer of depth and tension to your
harmonies.

Major 7th Chords

A major 7th chord is built by adding a major seventh
to a major triad stack. These chords add a dreamy,
jazzy feel to songs but still sound very “major.” Be
careful not to mix up major 7th and dominant 7th
chords—there is a di!erence! Here is the C major 7
chord in root position:

And here are all the major 7 chords built on all

twelve tones, in root position:

Cmaj7
C-E-G-B

Dmaj7
D-F#-A-C#

Emaj7
E-G#-B-D#

F#maj7
F#-A#-C#-E#

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