# Chord Calculator (Notes in Any Chord)

URL: https://speedycalculator.com/calculators/other/chord/
Last updated: 2026-10-30

> The chord calculator spells the notes of any chord – major, minor, augmented, diminished, suspended, sixth, seventh, ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords – on any root, shows its formula and intervals, and highlights the notes on a piano keyboard.

## Inputs

- Root note
- Chord type

## Results

- Chord symbol
- Notes
- Formula (scale degrees)
- Intervals above the root
- Semitones above the root
- Chord name
- Other ways to write the symbol
- Number of notes
- Spelling note
- Chord on a keyboard

## Formula

```
Chord notes = root + intervals of the formula, counted on the root’s major scale
Major = 1 3 5 · minor = 1 ♭3 5 · dominant 7th = 1 3 5 ♭7 · diminished 7th = 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7
```

## Explanation

A chord is a group of notes built from one note, the root, by stacking intervals – usually thirds. Every chord type has a formula written in scale degrees of the root’s major scale: a major triad is 1–3–5, a minor triad lowers the third (1–♭3–5), a dominant seventh adds a lowered seventh (1–3–5–♭7). Apply the formula to any root and you have the chord.

The important detail is spelling. Each degree of the formula uses its own letter name, so the third of D♭ major is F (not E♯) and the third of E major is G♯ (not A♭). Correct spelling is what makes a chord readable on the staff and shows its function; that is why the calculator sometimes produces double sharps or flats, such as B♯ and D𝄪 in G♯ augmented or B𝄫 in C diminished 7th – it also lists the simpler enharmonic names that sound the same.

Use it to learn chord construction, check a lead sheet, find voicings on the keyboard or see which notes two chords share before writing a progression.

### How to use the Chord Calculator

- **Root note**
- **Chord type**

Everything is calculated in your browser, so results appear instantly and nothing you type is sent to a server.

### How it works

Choose a root and a chord type. Each formula degree moves the root up the matching number of letter names and the matching number of semitones (a major third is 2 letters and 4 semitones), which gives the correctly spelled note. Accidentals in the formula (♭, ♯) lower or raise a degree by one semitone.

### Worked example

**A major**: the A major scale is A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, so degrees 1, 3, 5 give A, C♯, E. **C minor**: apply 1, ♭3, 5 to C major (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) – lower E to E♭ – and you get C, E♭, G. **D♭ diminished 7th** (1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7) is D♭, F♭, A𝄫, C𝄫, which sounds like D♭, E, G, B♭.

### Chord formulas

ChordSymbol (on C)FormulaNotes on CMajorC1 3 5C E GMinorCm1 ♭3 5C E♭ GAugmentedC+1 3 ♯5C E G♯DiminishedC°1 ♭3 ♭5C E♭ G♭Sus2 / sus4Csus2 / Csus41 2 5 / 1 4 5C D G / C F GDominant 7thC71 3 5 ♭7C E G B♭Major 7thCmaj71 3 5 7C E G BMinor 7thCm71 ♭3 5 ♭7C E♭ G B♭Half-diminishedCø71 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7C E♭ G♭ B♭Diminished 7thC°71 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7C E♭ G♭ B𝄫Major 6thC61 3 5 6C E G ADominant 9thC91 3 5 ♭7 9C E G B♭ D

## Worked example

Inputs — Root note: C; Chord type: Major triad (C).

Results — **Chord symbol = C**; Notes = C, E, G; Formula (scale degrees) = 1, 3, 5; Intervals above the root = P1, M3, P5; Semitones above the root = 0, 4, 7; Chord name = C major triad.

## Key terms

- **Root**: The note a chord is built on and named after.
- **Triad**: A three-note chord of root, third and fifth.
- **Chord quality**: Major, minor, augmented, diminished – set by the sizes of the third and fifth.
- **Enharmonic**: Two spellings of the same pitch, such as F♯ and G♭.
- **Extension**: Chord tones above the seventh – the 9th, 11th and 13th.

## FAQ

**What notes are in a C major chord?**
C, E and G – the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the C major scale.

**How do I build a minor chord?**
Lower the third of the major chord by a semitone: C minor is C, E♭, G (formula 1, ♭3, 5).

**What is the difference between C7 and Cmaj7?**
C7 (dominant) has a minor seventh, B♭; Cmaj7 has a major seventh, B. C7 wants to resolve to F, Cmaj7 sounds settled.

**Why does A major contain C♯ and not D♭?**
The third of A must use the letter C (A–B–C), and C raised by a semitone is C♯.

**What is a diminished seventh chord?**
A stack of minor thirds: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7. On C it is C, E♭, G♭, B𝄫 – the B𝄫 sounds like A.

**What is a sus4 chord?**
The third is replaced by the fourth: Csus4 = C, F, G. It sounds open and usually resolves to the major chord.

**How many notes does a 13th chord have?**
In theory seven (1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9, 11, 13); in practice the 11th (and often the 5th) is left out, which is how this calculator spells C13: C, E, G, B♭, D, A.


## Sources

- [musictheory.net – Lessons (notes, intervals, chords, keys)](https://www.musictheory.net/lessons)
- [Open Music Theory (open textbook)](https://viva.pressbooks.pub/openmusictheory/)
- [Wikipedia – Chord names and symbols (popular music)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_names_and_symbols_(popular_music))