Chord Analyzer

How the Chord Analyzer Works

On the Notes tab, type note names separated by spaces or tap the twelve chromatic buttons. The chord analyzer deduplicates the notes, then treats each one as a candidate root and compares the remaining intervals against every chord formula it knows — triads, sevenths, suspended, added and extended chords.

Each candidate receives a score: exact interval matches count most, a root confirmed by the bass note counts next, and common chord names outrank exotic synonyms. The winner is displayed with its full anatomy, and when the same notes legitimately support two names — A minor 7 versus C major 6 — the chord analyzer shows both instead of hiding the ambiguity. That transparency is what a chord analyzer is for.

Notes, Intervals and Spelling

A chord is a stack of intervals measured from its root. The chord analyzer reports both layers: the note names that sound, and the interval each one forms above the root. C E G reads as 1 3 5 — a major triad. A C E reads as 1 b3 5 — minor. The b3 is the single semitone that separates the two most important colors in music.

Spelling matters when you write chords down. This chord analyzer spells notes correctly for the key context: E♭ minor is written E♭ G♭ B♭, never as D♯ F♯ A♯. If you enter flats, the analysis answers in flats, which keeps lead sheets and theory homework looking the way your teacher expects. Correct spelling is a small detail that separates a serious chord analyzer from a toy.

Root, Bass and Inversions

The root names the chord; the bass is whatever sounds lowest. In root position they coincide, and the chord feels settled. When the third or fifth drops below the root, the chord analyzer labels the inversion — first, second or third — and writes the chord as a slash, such as C/E or C/G.

Inversions are not trivia: they are how arrangers smooth bass lines and how songwriters create tension without changing harmony. Seeing the inversion label update live, one string at a time, teaches the concept faster than any diagram in a textbook. A chord analyzer that labels inversions live teaches faster than any chart.

Who Uses a Chord Analyzer?

Any set of two or more notes can be analyzed; sets that do not match a known formula return the three closest candidates with the mismatching tones flagged, so even a wrong answer teaches you something.

• Pianists and producers checking which chord their melody notes imply.
• Guitarists decoding a riff into the chord it outlines.
• Students verifying theory homework before the next lesson.
• Songwriters hunting for the second name a chord hides.
• Arrangers testing inversions for smoother voice leading.

A Tiny Chord Analyzer Experiment

Try this sequence on the Notes tab: enter C E G and read C major. Add B and watch it become Cmaj7. Swap the B for B♭ and it turns into C7 — the backbone of blues. Replace E with D and you are looking at Csus2. Four edits, four chords, and you have just felt how intervals, not notes, define a chord. That is the chord analyzer working as a theory instrument, not just a dictionary.