Recognise chords by ear

It’s at least three notes played together. Basic chords are built by stacking thirds: C, then E (a third above), then G (another third). The bottom note, which gives the chord its name, is called the root.

A single note: the third. In C major (C E G), it is 4 semitones above the root; in C minor (C E♭ G), 3. That one semitone is enough to turn the chord from bright to melancholic.

Start with “The 4 basic chords”, in “arpeggiated then block” mode: the arpeggio lets you hear each note, the block chord gives the overall colour. Listen to the third first (major or minor), then the fifth (perfect, diminished or augmented). If intervals aren’t familiar yet, try the intervals game.

It’s letter notation, the one used in chord charts and in pop and jazz scores: in fixed-do solfège, A = La, B = Si, C = Do, D = Ré, E = Mi, F = Fa, G = Sol. You add m for minor, ° for diminished, + for augmented, sus2 or sus4 when the third is replaced, 7 for the minor seventh and maj7 for the major seventh.

The first sound takes a second to load. On iPhone and iPad, turn off silent mode (the switch on the side of the device): it also mutes web pages. Finally, check your computer’s volume and audio output.

They are samples from the Salamander Grand Piano, a Yamaha C5 grand piano recorded by Alexander Holm and released under the licence Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. They are loaded on demand, note by note, and nothing is sent to the server: your progress stays in your browser.