Piano Chords Chart

Below you can print out a piano chords chart and learn more about how to play chord piano.

Use the chart in this way:

First pick a piece with chord markings and melody, or just lyrics and chords as in the famous "Yellow submarine" by Beatles below, that you can print immediately. You can use anything for guitar with chord tabs too- since chords for piano are the same.
Highlight the different chords that are used- it might seem like there are a lot, but usually there are only a few chords. Or write them on a piece of paper to practice only the different chords used first a few times.
Look at the piano chords chart and learn the pattern on the piano keys of those chords.
Practice the chords first, and then sing or hum the melody of the piece you picked, adding the chords at the right words!

The chart displays how to play the most common basic chords in all 12 keys in root position: Major, minor, diminished, seventh chord and major seventh chord.

Printable Piano Chords Chart

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Try it out now on a piece you probably know!:
Beatles- Yellow submarine.

Learn to play your favorite songs by The Beatles with our large selection of downloadable piano sheet music, including piano solo, easy piano and piano/vocal/guitar arrangements of “Let It Be,” “Yesterday,” “Hey Jude” and many more

When you start to learn piano chords, I recommend that you get a “Fake book” with great songs to practice playing chords and making (faking) your own accompaniments.

Here is a great one to start with: The Easy Fake Book And for learning how to play piano chords: How to Play from a Fake Book (Keyboard Edition)

How Music Chords are Built

A chord consists of three or more notes played together.

The notes of a chord in root position are all spaced an interval of a third apart.

You actually “build” chords by stacking thirds on top of each other.

Depending on if the thirds are major (big) or minor (small) and in what order they are stacked, you get different types of chords.

The most common chords are either three-note or four-note chords

Three note chords (or Triads):

A Major Chord is a triad (a three note chord) made of a major third and on top a minor third. This creates the specific sound of “major”; a “happier”, “lighter” sound. It is written for ex.: E (Root=E, major chord)
A Minor Chord is built with a minor third and on top a major third. This gives the sound of “minor” a more “sad”, “darker” sound. It is written for ex.: Am (Root=A, minor chord)
A Diminished Chord is made from only minor thirds. This gives the chord a sound like it really wants to go somewhere, to be resolved somehow. That is why it is often referred to as a Dominant 7th chord with no root. It is written for ex.: D dim(Root=D, diminished chord).
An Augmented Chord is built from only major thirds; it also has a very “unresolved” sound.

The 7th chord is a four note chord. It has a root, a third, a fifth and a seventh. Starting from the root:

A “regular” 7th chord, also called a Dominant 7th chord, for example C7, is made from a major chord plus a minor third on top. That would make the thirds stacked like this (from the bottom and up): major third, minor third, minor third.
A Major 7th chord, for example Cmaj7, is a major chord plus a major third on top. The thirds are stacked like this: major, minor, major.

How to Play Chord Piano

When using for example a “Fake book” you play chords and melody following a lead sheet. A lead sheet has only the melody written with notes (or only lyrics), and above it the chords are written as chord symbols; Cmaj7, Eb dim., Bm for example.

If you already know the melody, you only need the lyrics and the chords.

You can either sing the melody of the song (or have someone else sing it!) and make up your own accompaniment, or pick out the melody in one hand and play the chords in the other.

Have a look at the piano chords chart above when you need to remind yourself how to play the chords.

However- the chords in the above chart are only in root position. Make sure to check out the lesson about how to play piano chord inversions to see how you can change the position of the chord for smooth transitions from one chord to the next!