Practice

Chord Types & Construction

Most chords are small edits to a major triad. Start from the root, 3rd, and 5th, then change one note or add one note and you have a new chord type. Pick a root below to compare the basics, see how every chord is built from stacked thirds, and read the full formula reference. Playing a shape you can’t name? The chord finder names it from the notes you fret.

Minor flattens the 3rd, sus chords swap the 3rd for the 2nd or 4th, and add chords keep the triad while stacking a 9th or 11th on top.

Compare chord types from any root

Choose a root note. The Major column is the reference — root, major 3rd, perfect 5th. Every other column highlights the single note it changes or adds relative to that major triad.

Chord types built on C

Note Major1 · 3 · 5 Minor1 · b3 · 5 Sus21 · 2 · 5 Sus41 · 4 · 5 Add91 · 3 · 5 · 9 Add111 · 3 · 5 · 11
Root CR CR CR CR CR CR
2nd / 9th D2changed D9added
3rd E3 Ebb3changed E3 E3
4th / 11th F4changed F11added
5th G5 G5 G5 G5 G5 G5

Notes are spelled by scale degree, so accidentals follow the key (for example C# shows E#, and Eb shows Gb). The 9th and 11th are the 2nd and 4th raised an octave — same note name, stacked above the triad.

How to read the columns

Major → Minor

Drop the 3rd by one semitone. Root and 5th stay put, so a single note is the whole difference between a happy and a sad chord.

Sus2 and Sus4

“Suspended” means the 3rd is replaced — by the 2nd (sus2) or the 4th (sus4). With no 3rd, the chord is neither major nor minor and wants to resolve.

Add9 and Add11

“Add” chords leave the major triad intact and stack one extra colour tone on top — the 9th or the 11th — without the 7th that an extended chord like a 9 or 11 would include.

Why “add”, not “9” or “11”?

A plain C9 or C11 stacks every third up from the root, so it also contains a 7th. Cadd9 and Cadd11 skip the 7th and just append the extension — a brighter, more open sound common in pop and folk.

How chords are built

Chords are built by stacking intervals — usually thirds — above a root. A major third spans 4 semitones; a minor third spans 3. Stack two thirds on a root and you have a triad; keep stacking and you reach the 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th that fill out the families below.

Spell chords by counting letter names so the notes stay a third apart — C–E–G is a tertian triad, while C–E–F# is not. Every example here uses C as the root; move each note by the same interval to transpose the whole chord to any key.

The four triads

Three-note chords — root, third, fifth — built by stacking two thirds. Which two thirds you stack sets the quality.

Major

Major 3rd + minor 3rd (4 + 3 semitones)

Croot E3rd G5th

Symbol: C or Cmaj

Minor

Minor 3rd + major 3rd (3 + 4 semitones)

Croot Eb3rd G5th

Symbol: Cm or Cmin

Diminished

Minor 3rd + minor 3rd (3 + 3)

Croot Eb3rd Gb5th

Symbol: Cdim or C°

Augmented

Major 3rd + major 3rd (4 + 4)

Croot E3rd G#5th

Symbol: Caug or C+

Swap the third for a 2nd or 4th and you get a suspended chord; drop the third entirely and you get a power chord (root and 5th only). Stack the next third on top for a seventh, then a ninth, and so on — every type in the families below is one of these stacks, sometimes with a tone raised or lowered.

Every chord type, by family

The comparison tool above covers the everyday triads and add chords. Here is the full reference for the chord types String Warrior voices, grouped by family. Each formula is written in scale degrees from the root, so the same recipe transposes to any key. Pick a root below and every symbol and the Notes column re-spell for that key.

Chord formulas spelled on C

Basic

The three-note foundations. A major or minor triad is root, 3rd, and 5th; a power chord drops the 3rd entirely, leaving root and 5th.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
MajorC1 · 3 · 5C E G
MinorCm1 · b3 · 5C Eb G
Power (fifth)C51 · 5C G

Seventh

Stack one more third on a triad to add a 7th. The quality of the 3rd and the 7th together name the chord — dominant 7ths use a major 3rd with a flat 7th, major 7ths raise that 7th, and minor 7ths flatten the 3rd.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
Dominant 7thC71 · 3 · 5 · b7C E G Bb
Major 7thCmaj7 · CΔ71 · 3 · 5 · 7C E G B
Minor 7thCm71 · b3 · 5 · b7C Eb G Bb
Minor-major 7thCm(maj7)1 · b3 · 5 · 7C Eb G B

Diminished & Augmented

These alter the 5th. Diminished chords flatten it (and often a 7th on top); augmented chords raise it. The half-diminished 7th (m7b5) is the workhorse of minor-key ii chords.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
DiminishedCdim · C°1 · b3 · b5C Eb Gb
Diminished 7thCdim7 · C°71 · b3 · b5 · bb7C Eb Gb Bbb
Half-diminished 7thCm7b5 · Cø71 · b3 · b5 · b7C Eb Gb Bb
AugmentedCaug · C+1 · 3 · #5C E G#
Augmented 7thCaug7 · C7#51 · 3 · #5 · b7C E G# Bb
Major 7th #5Cmaj7#51 · 3 · #5 · 7C E G# B
Minor 7th #5Cm7#51 · b3 · #5 · b7C Eb G# Bb

Suspended

The 3rd is replaced by the 2nd or the 4th, so the chord is neither major nor minor. Sevenths, ninths, sixths, and thirteenths can all be built on top of a suspension.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
Suspended 2ndCsus21 · 2 · 5C D G
Suspended 4thCsus41 · 4 · 5C F G
Dominant 7th sus2C7sus21 · 2 · 5 · b7C D G Bb
Dominant 7th sus4C7sus41 · 4 · 5 · b7C F G Bb
Dominant 9th sus4C9sus41 · 4 · 5 · b7 · 9C F G Bb D
Major 7th sus2Cmaj7sus21 · 2 · 5 · 7C D G B
Major 7th sus4Cmaj7sus41 · 4 · 5 · 7C F G B
Sixth sus2C6sus21 · 2 · 5 · 6C D G A
Sixth sus4C6sus41 · 4 · 5 · 6C F G A
Thirteenth sus4C13sus41 · 4 · 5 · b7 · 9 · 13C F G Bb D A

Sixth

Add a 6th above the triad instead of a 7th for a softer, more open colour. Fold in the 9th too and you get the lush six-nine voicing.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
Major 6thC61 · 3 · 5 · 6C E G A
Minor 6thCm61 · b3 · 5 · 6C Eb G A
Six-nineC6/91 · 3 · 5 · 6 · 9C E G A D
Minor six-nineCm6/91 · b3 · 5 · 6 · 9C Eb G A D

Ninth & Extended

An add9 stacks the 9th straight onto a triad with no 7th. A full ninth chord keeps the 7th underneath the 9th, and its flavour (dominant, major, or minor) follows the 3rd and 7th just like the seventh chords do.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
Add 9Cadd91 · 3 · 5 · 9C E G D
Minor add 9Cm(add9)1 · b3 · 5 · 9C Eb G D
Dominant 9thC91 · 3 · 5 · b7 · 9C E G Bb D
Major 9thCmaj91 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9C E G B D
Minor 9thCm91 · b3 · 5 · b7 · 9C Eb G Bb D
Minor-major 9thCm(maj9)1 · b3 · 5 · 7 · 9C Eb G B D

Eleventh

A full 11th chord stacks all the thirds up to the 11th. By convention a plain dominant 11 drops the major 3rd to avoid the harsh half-step clash with the 11th. The add11 and 7add11 forms instead keep the 3rd and skip the 9th.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
Add 11Cadd111 · 3 · 5 · 11C E G F
EleventhC111 · 5 · b7 · 9 · 11C G Bb D F
Minor 11thCm111 · b3 · 5 · b7 · 9 · 11C Eb G Bb D F
Major 11thCmaj111 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9 · 11C E G B D F
Minor-major 11thCm(maj11)1 · b3 · 5 · 7 · 9 · 11C Eb G B D F
Dominant 7th add 11C7add111 · 3 · 5 · b7 · 11C E G Bb F
Major 7th add 11Cmaj7add111 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 11C E G B F
Minor 7th add 11Cm7add111 · b3 · 5 · b7 · 11C Eb G Bb F
Minor-major 7th add 11Cm(maj7)add111 · b3 · 5 · 7 · 11C Eb G B F

Thirteenth

The largest tertian stack. A true 13th chord implies the 9th (and usually omits the 11th in practice); the add13 forms append only the 13th to a seventh chord, keeping things lean.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
ThirteenthC131 · 3 · 5 · b7 · 9 · 13C E G Bb D A
Minor 13thCm131 · b3 · 5 · b7 · 9 · 13C Eb G Bb D A
Major 13thCmaj131 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9 · 13C E G B D A
Dominant 7th add 13C7add131 · 3 · 5 · b7 · 13C E G Bb A
Major 7th add 13Cmaj7add131 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 13C E G B A
Minor 7th add 13Cm7add131 · b3 · 5 · b7 · 13C Eb G Bb A
Minor-major 7th add 13Cm(maj7)add131 · b3 · 5 · 7 · 13C Eb G B A

Sharp 11 (Lydian)

Raising the 11th to a #11 sidesteps the clash with the major 3rd and adds the bright, floating Lydian colour heard all over film scores and fusion.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
Dominant 7th #11C7#111 · 3 · 5 · b7 · #11C E G Bb F#
Major 7th #11Cmaj7#111 · 3 · 5 · 7 · #11C E G B F#
Dominant 9th #11C9#111 · 3 · 5 · b7 · 9 · #11C E G Bb D F#

Altered

Dominant 7th chords with a sharpened or flattened 5th and/or 9th. These tension-rich voicings pull hard toward a resolution and are the backbone of jazz turnarounds.

ChordSymbolFormulaNotes on C
Dominant 7th b5C7b51 · 3 · b5 · b7C E Gb Bb
Major 7th b5Cmaj7b51 · 3 · b5 · 7C E Gb B
Dominant 7th b9C7b91 · 3 · 5 · b7 · b9C E G Bb Db
Dominant 7th #9C7#91 · 3 · 5 · b7 · #9C E G Bb D#
Minor 7th b9Cm7b91 · b3 · 5 · b7 · b9C Eb G Bb Db
Dominant 9th b5C9b51 · 3 · b5 · b7 · 9C E Gb Bb D
Dominant 9th #5C9#51 · 3 · #5 · b7 · 9C E G# Bb D
Thirteenth b9C13b91 · 3 · 5 · b7 · b9 · 13C E G Bb Db A
Augmented 7th b9Caug7b9 · C7#5b91 · 3 · #5 · b7 · b9C E G# Bb Db
Augmented 7th #9Caug7#9 · C7#5#91 · 3 · #5 · b7 · #9C E G# Bb D#

Want to play these shapes? Each chord type links through to fingerings on the guitar chord library and other instruments. For how the stacks are built interval by interval, see how chords are built above.

Explore related theory, then play these shapes on your instrument.

Chord types FAQ

How are chords built?
By stacking intervals — usually thirds — above a root note. Two stacked thirds make a triad (root, 3rd, 5th); stacking further thirds adds the 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th. The size of each third (major = 4 semitones, minor = 3) and any raised or lowered tones decide the chord’s quality and name. Because the recipe is measured in intervals, the same formula works from any root.
What is the difference between a major and minor chord?
Only the 3rd. A major triad is root, major 3rd, and perfect 5th; a minor triad lowers that 3rd by one semitone to a minor 3rd. The root and 5th are identical, so flattening a single note is all it takes to switch a chord from major to minor.
What does “sus” mean in a chord like sus2 or sus4?
Suspended. The 3rd is removed and replaced by another note — the major 2nd in a sus2 or the perfect 4th in a sus4. Because there is no 3rd, a sus chord sounds neither major nor minor and usually resolves back to a regular triad.
How is an add9 chord different from a 9 chord?
An add9 keeps the plain major triad and adds the 9th on top, with no 7th. A 9 chord (like C9) stacks thirds all the way up and therefore also contains a 7th. Add chords sound more open; full extended chords sound richer and more jazzy.
Are the 9th and 11th the same notes as the 2nd and 4th?
They are the same note names — the 9th is the 2nd raised an octave and the 11th is the 4th raised an octave. The different number signals that the note sits above the triad as an extension rather than inside it.
Do these chord formulas work for any root note?
Yes. Every formula is measured in intervals from the root, so the same pattern transposes to all twelve roots. Pick any note in the table above and the columns recompute the correct spelling for that key.
What is the difference between the three kinds of seventh chord?
It comes down to the 3rd and the 7th. A dominant 7th (C7) pairs a major 3rd with a flat 7th; a major 7th (Cmaj7) raises that 7th a semitone; and a minor 7th (Cm7) flattens the 3rd while keeping the flat 7th. A minor-major 7th keeps the flat 3rd but raises the 7th — a darker, more cinematic sound.
Why does an eleventh chord usually leave out the 3rd?
In a dominant 11th the major 3rd sits a semitone below the 11th, and that clash sounds muddy. Players typically drop the 3rd so the chord rings clearly as a 1–5–b7–9–11 stack. If you want the 3rd and the fourth-degree colour together, raise the 11th to a #11 or use an add11 voicing instead.
What makes a chord “altered”?
An altered chord is a dominant 7th whose 5th and/or 9th has been sharpened or flattened — for example 7b9, 7#9, 7b5, or 7#5. Those raised and lowered tensions create strong pull toward the chord a fourth above, which is why altered dominants are everywhere in jazz turnarounds.