How piano chords are built
A triad is three notes stacked in thirds: a root, a third and a fifth. On the piano you can find most triads by playing every other white key — C, E, G — then adjusting the middle or top note for the chord's quality.
| Chord type | Half steps from the root | Sound | Example on C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | root + 4 + 3 | bright, happy | C – E – G |
| Minor | root + 3 + 4 | sad, gentle | C – E♭ – G |
| Diminished | root + 3 + 3 | tense, unstable | C – E♭ – G♭ |
| Augmented | root + 4 + 4 | dreamy, unsettled | C – E – G♯ |
The easiest rule for children: to turn a major chord into a minor chord, move the middle note down one half step.
Piano chord chart: all 12 keys
Spelled the way they're written in sheet music. (𝄫 = double flat, 𝄪 = double sharp — rare, but correct.)
| Root | Major | Minor | Diminished | Augmented |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C – E – G | C – E♭ – G | C – E♭ – G♭ | C – E – G♯ |
| D♭ | D♭ – F – A♭ | D♭ – F♭ – A♭ | D♭ – F♭ – A𝄫 | D♭ – F – A |
| D | D – F♯ – A | D – F – A | D – F – A♭ | D – F♯ – A♯ |
| E♭ | E♭ – G – B♭ | E♭ – G♭ – B♭ | E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫 | E♭ – G – B |
| E | E – G♯ – B | E – G – B | E – G – B♭ | E – G♯ – B♯ |
| F | F – A – C | F – A♭ – C | F – A♭ – C♭ | F – A – C♯ |
| F♯ | F♯ – A♯ – C♯ | F♯ – A – C♯ | F♯ – A – C | F♯ – A♯ – C𝄪 |
| G | G – B – D | G – B♭ – D | G – B♭ – D♭ | G – B – D♯ |
| A♭ | A♭ – C – E♭ | A♭ – C♭ – E♭ | A♭ – C♭ – E𝄫 | A♭ – C – E |
| A | A – C♯ – E | A – C – E | A – C – E♭ | A – C♯ – E♯ |
| B♭ | B♭ – D – F | B♭ – D♭ – F | B♭ – D♭ – F♭ | B♭ – D – F♯ |
| B | B – D♯ – F♯ | B – D – F♯ | B – D – F | B – D♯ – F𝄪 |
The chords inside every major key
Build a triad on each note of a major scale, using only notes from that scale, and you always get the same pattern: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished. Musicians label them with Roman numerals: I ii iii IV V vi vii°.
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | B° |
| G major | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F♯° |
| D major | D | Em | F♯m | G | A | Bm | C♯° |
| A major | A | Bm | C♯m | D | E | F♯m | G♯° |
| E major | E | F♯m | G♯m | A | B | C♯m | D♯° |
| B major | B | C♯m | D♯m | E | F♯ | G♯m | A♯° |
| A♭ major | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭ | Fm | G° |
| E♭ major | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ | Cm | D° |
| B♭ major | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F | Gm | A° |
| F major | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C | Dm | E° |
The I, IV and V chords (C, F and G in C major) carry thousands of children's songs, hymns and folk tunes. On the Circle of Fifths they sit side by side: the key and its two neighbours.
Teaching chords to kids
- Start with C, F and G major — all white keys, and enough to play along with many first songs.
- Let them hear major against minor before naming them. “Happy or sad?” is a real ear-training question.
- Use the skip-a-key shape: thumb, middle finger, pinky on every other white key.
- Add one black-key chord at a time: D major (F♯), A major (C♯), E major (G♯).