Twelve chord qualities
The Chord Explorer builds the qualities below from a chosen root. Formula numbers describe degrees above that root; accidentals alter those degrees relative to the major-scale reference. The exact note names still depend on the root’s spelling.
The reference directory includes major and minor triads plus major and dominant sevenths. The interactive tool supports the full table. An option being available in the tool does not require a separate reference page for every root and quality.
| Quality | Formula | Example on C |
|---|---|---|
| Major | 1 · 3 · 5 | C · E · G |
| Minor | 1 · ♭3 · 5 | C · E♭ · G |
| Diminished | 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 | C · E♭ · G♭ |
| Augmented | 1 · 3 · ♯5 | C · E · G♯ |
| Suspended second | 1 · 2 · 5 | C · D · G |
| Suspended fourth | 1 · 4 · 5 | C · F · G |
| Major seventh | 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 | C · E · G · B |
| Dominant seventh | 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 | C · E · G · B♭ |
| Minor seventh | 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7 | C · E♭ · G · B♭ |
| Half-diminished seventh | 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7 | C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ |
| Diminished seventh | 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · 𝄫7 | C · E♭ · G♭ · B𝄫 |
| Minor major seventh | 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 7 | C · E♭ · G · B |
Keep quality distinct from function
C7 names a dominant-seventh quality: C, E, G and B-flat. It does not alone prove which key a passage is in or how the chord functions. Cmaj7 is a different quality because its seventh is B natural.
A suspended chord replaces the third with a second or fourth. Without a third, the same pitch set can support more than one root interpretation. The surrounding phrase may supply information that a list of notes cannot.
Choose which member is lowest
A triad has three chord-member bass positions; a seventh chord has four. Inversions retain the chord’s root and quality while moving a different member to the bass. The slash notation identifies that bass, as in C/E.
The default diagrams use a clear, ordered voicing. Other octave arrangements can represent the same chord. Read the actual pitches when comparing them instead of treating one keyboard shape as the only possible performance.
Read note recognition as a set of candidates
When you select notes, the tool checks the supported chord templates. An exact match identifies a compatible spelling and root assumption. Several candidates can fit one pitch-class set; C–D–G can support Csus2 or Gsus4.
No exact match means the selection does not match this template set. It does not mean the notes are invalid music. Keep listening to or exporting the selected notes, or revise the selection if you intended a supported chord.
Check a seventh with one note change
Build C major seventh, then change the quality to dominant seventh. Check that C, E and G stay and only B becomes B-flat. Next compare root position with first inversion: the bass changes, but the selected seventh quality stays the same.
This two-part check separates a quality change from an inversion change. It is a useful way to verify a saved or exported result.
Sources and methods
- Open Music Theory: Triads
- Introduction to seventh chords
- ChordLilt product contract
- Inverted triads
- Simple suspended chords
Put it into practice.
Explore these notes and relationships in the interactive tools.