♪ Musical Chords Guide
This guide introduces you to chord recognition by ear. You will learn what a chord is, the differences between chord types, how to use the exercise, and strategies for developing harmonic hearing.
1. What is a chord?
A chord is a combination of three or more notes played together (or in sequence). The distance between the notes — measured in semitones — determines the chord's quality: whether it sounds happy or sad, stable or tense, classical or jazzy.
Every chord is built from a root note, adding notes at specific distances. For example, a C major chord consists of C + E + G: a major third (4 semitones) and a perfect fifth (7 semitones) above C.
📌 Chord vs Interval
An interval is the distance between two notes. A chord combines three or more notes simultaneously, creating a complex harmonic colour. Recognising chords requires a more trained ear than recognising intervals.
2. Chord qualities
- Major — bright, joyful, stable. The fundamental triad of tonal music.
- Minor — dark, melancholic, introspective. One semitone less in the third compared to major.
- Dominant 7th — tense, "wants to resolve", typical of blues and jazz. Adds a minor seventh to the major triad.
- Augmented — unstable, suspended, mysterious. The fifth is raised by one semitone.
- Diminished — dark, anguished, dissonant. All thirds are minor.
- Suspended (Sus) — open, ambiguous, unresolved. Replaces the third with the second or fourth.
- Jazz (9th, maj7, etc.) — rich, sophisticated, colourful. Adds extended notes beyond the seventh.
3. Chord table
All chords in the exercise, grouped by level, with their semitone structure and sonic character.
Level 1 — Basic (fundamental triads)
| Chord | Structure (semitones) | Character |
|---|
| Major | 4 + 3 | Bright, stable, joyful |
| Minor | 3 + 4 | Dark, melancholic, intimate |
Level 2 — Seventh chords
| Chord | Structure (semitones) | Character |
|---|
| Dom 7th | 4+3+3 | Tense, bluesy, wants to resolve |
| Maj 7th | 4+3+4 | Dreamy, romantic, sophisticated |
| Min 7th | 3+4+3 | Gently melancholic, typical jazz |
Level 3 — Altered and sixth chords
| Chord | Structure (semitones) | Character |
|---|
| Augmented | 4+4 | Suspended, enigmatic, unstable |
| Diminished 7th | 3+3+3 | Anguished, dramatic, symmetrical |
| Maj 6th | 4+3+2 | Warm, nostalgic, retro |
| Min 6th | 3+4+2 | Bittersweet, tango-like |
Level 4 — Advanced chords
| Chord | Structure (semitones) | Character |
|---|
| Half-Diminished | 3+3+4 | Tense but less dark than dim7, typical jazz |
| Sus 2 | 2+5 | Open, suspended, no third |
| Sus 4 | 5+2 | Solemn, suspended, wants to resolve to the third |
Level 5 — Jazz
| Chord | Structure | Character |
|---|
| Dom 9th | Dom 7th + major ninth | Rich, full, blues-jazz |
| Maj 9th | Maj 7th + major ninth | Bright, dreamy, sophisticated pop |
| Min 9th | Min 7th + major ninth | Deep, meditative, modal jazz |
📌 How to read the structure
The numbers show the semitones between consecutive notes of the chord. Major = 4+3 means: major third (4 semitones) + minor third (3 semitones) above. C major = C (0) + E (4) + G (7).
4. Inversions
A chord is in root position when the root note is the lowest. In inversions, one of the other chord notes moves to the bottom:
- Root position (C-E-G): C is the bass.
- 1st inversion (E-G-C): E is the bass — the chord sounds lighter.
- 2nd inversion (G-C-E): G is the bass — a more unstable, floating feel.
The same chord recognised in root position can be much harder to identify in inversion, because the overall colour changes significantly. Only enable inversions once you know the chords well in root position.
⚠️ Inversions and the root note
In the exercise, the root note remains highlighted in yellow on the keyboard and staff — even in inversions. It is a theoretical reference, not the lowest note played. Don't mistake it for part of the inversion!
5. How the exercise works
The program randomly picks a chord, plays it, and you must identify it by clicking the corresponding button in the grid — or by finding the notes on the keyboard.
Interface walkthrough
▶ Play button
Plays the current chord. Once you have answered, moves to the next chord (Auto mode) or stays on the current one (Manual mode).
♪ Staff
Before you answer, shows only the root note (in yellow). After a correct answer, the full chord appears in root position: chord notes in green, root always in yellow.
🎹 Piano keyboard
The root note is highlighted in yellow. You can click the keys to hear individual notes as reference. Alternatively, you can answer by finding all the chord notes on the keyboard: correct notes turn green, wrong ones turn red. When all chord notes are found, the point is awarded — but only if you made no mistakes along the way.
■ Chord grid
Buttons for the current level are lit up. Click the one you think matches the chord. If wrong it turns red — click it again to hear it and compare. After answering, clicking any button plays the corresponding chord.
⏸ Manual / ▶▶ Auto advance
In
Manual mode (default) the exercise pauses after each answer: you can replay, compare, and explore the keyboard. In
Auto mode it advances automatically after 1.4 seconds.
🏆 Score
Counts correct answers on the
first attempt, whether via button or keyboard. A single wrong note on the keyboard costs the point.
6. MIDI Input (Physical Keyboard)
You can connect a real USB MIDI keyboard to your computer to perform the exercises naturally.
- The MIDI input is always active (no configuration needed). It supports hot-plugging: you can plug in the USB cable before or after opening the browser.
- Exact octave matching: you must play the notes of the chord in the exact octave shown on the screen (calculated from the root note displayed in yellow). Notes played in different octaves will be ignored.
- All notes pressed on the physical keyboard are immediately reflected on the virtual keyboard on screen, turning green (if correct) or red (if wrong).
7. Mode selector
- ↑ Arpeggio — notes play in sequence from low to high. Easier: you hear the chord's melodic structure.
- ↓ Arpeggio — notes play from high to low. Same structure, different feel.
- ⇅ Harmonic — all notes sound together. The hardest: you hear only the overall colour of the chord, with no melodic guide.
💡 Tip
Start in Arpeggio ↑ mode. Once you know the chords well, switch to Harmonic — that is the real-world condition in which you will hear chords in live music.
8. Difficulty levels
- 1 — Basic Major and Minor only. The fundamental distinction of tonal music.
- 2 — Easy Dom 7th, Maj 7th, Min 7th added — the most common seventh chords.
- 3 — Medium Augmented, Diminished 7th, Maj 6th, Min 6th join the mix.
- 4 — Expert Half-Diminished, Sus 2, Sus 4 — rarer but important chords.
- 5 — Jazz Ninth chords: Dom 9th, Maj 9th, Min 9th.
⚠️ Recommended starting point
Level 1 seems easy but it isn't: distinguishing major and minor in harmonic mode, with inversions and random roots, already requires a good ear. Consolidate each level before moving on.
9. Root note selector
- Fixed note (default C4) — locks the root. Useful for learning the colour of chords without extra variables.
- ⟳ Random — the root changes with every question. This is the realistic mode: in music, chords appear in any key.
10. Recognition strategies
The chord's "colour"
The most effective method is to perceive the chord's overall emotional colour, not to analyse it note by note. With practice, major and minor become instantly distinguishable — like recognising a person's face without counting their individual features.
Pairs to train
- Major vs Minor — the most important contrast: bright vs dark. Listen to them alternately dozens of times until the difference is immediate.
- Dom 7th vs Maj 7th — both start from a major triad. The Dom 7 "wants to go somewhere"; the Maj 7 sounds like it has already arrived, dreamy.
- Min 7th vs Half-Diminished — very similar. The half-diminished has a lowered fifth and sounds more unstable and tense.
- Sus 2 vs Sus 4 — both lack a third, but Sus 2 feels more open/folk, Sus 4 more solemn and "waiting".
- Diminished 7th vs Augmented — both tense, but the dim7 is symmetrical and dramatic, the augmented is more floating and ambiguous.
Use the keyboard as a study tool
When you cannot identify a chord, don't look at the answer immediately. Use the keyboard to find the notes one by one: starting from the root (yellow), search for the other chord notes. This active process reinforces memory far more effectively than passive button-clicking.
💡 Short sessions focused on one pair
If you struggle to distinguish two specific chords (e.g. Dom 7th and Maj 7th), run a "comparison session": play them alternately dozens of times, focusing only on the difference. This targeted approach is far more effective than general practice.
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