Piano chord quiz
- A chord lights up on the piano and plays.
- Pick its name among the four answers.
- Ten rounds per game. At level 3 the keys stay dark: you name it by ear.
How to name a chord at a glance
Find the lowest lit key: in this quiz every chord is in root position, so the lowest note is the root and gives the letter of the name. Then look at the next key up. Four half steps from the root (two whole steps) means a major third and a major chord; three half steps means a minor third and a minor chord, written with an m. The top note, the fifth, confirms it: seven half steps above the root in a major or minor chord, six in a diminished one, eight in an augmented one.
Hearing helps as much as looking. Major chords sound bright and settled, minor chords darker, diminished chords tense and augmented chords unresolved, as if waiting for something. Level 3 hides the keys so you can train that difference on its own.
The four levels
- White-key triads: major and minor chords on C, D, E, F, G and A.
- Every triad: all twelve roots, with diminished and augmented chords.
- By ear: major or minor, nothing lit.
- Seventh chords: dominant 7th, major 7th and minor 7th, the chords of jazz and pop ballads.
Learn the shapes, not the lists
Do not memorise twelve chords per type: learn the shape - root, third, fifth - and its feel under the hand. The chords and triads lesson builds them step by step, and every chord has its own page in the piano chord library, with its inversions and fingering.
Frequently asked
How can I tell a major chord from a minor chord?
Count the half steps from the root to the middle note: four for major, three for minor. By ear, the major chord sounds brighter; switching between C and Cm on the piano makes the difference obvious.
Why are some chords written with flats?
A black key has two names. The quiz spells chords the way the chord pages do: C♯ and F♯ with sharps, E♭, A♭ and B♭ with flats, which are the most common spellings in written music.
Are the chords always in root position?
Yes, in this quiz the lowest note is always the root. Inversions, where another note is at the bottom, are on each chord page of the chord library, with their slash names such as C/E.
What does the m in Dm mean?
Minor. Dm is D minor: D, F and A. A capital M or maj, as in Cmaj7, means major, and 7 alone means a dominant seventh chord.
Keep reading
Four short games on the piano: read notes, hear intervals, name chords, remember melodies. No account, best scores saved in this browser.
Hub
Piano games
Four quick games to practise reading, ear and memory on a real piano in your browser.
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Guide
Note reading game
A note appears on the staff, you play it. Sixty seconds, combos, four levels up to sharps and flats.
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Guide
Interval ear training
Two notes, one distance: name the interval or play the second note, from thirds to tritones.
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Guide
Melody memory
The piano plays a tune that grows by one note each round. Play it back as long as you can.
Read it →Play chords in any key
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