02 / Harmony reference
Chords in key
Find the harmony. Hear an inversion. Map its notes. Build a progression.
C major
Select a numeral to inspect that chord. Add builds a progression using the current scale degrees.
| Degree | Chord | Spelled notes | Actions |
|---|
C
IPiano / DAW
Staff notation
Concert pitch, with no rhythm specified. The staff shows this exact voicing with explicit accidentals; the clef follows its register.
Octave labels use C4 = MIDI 60. Your DAW may label this same pitch C3 or C5.
Guitar / chord-tone map
These are all chord-tone locations in the selected range. Choose one note per string for a voicing; this map is not a simultaneous fingering. The piano inversion does not change the guitar map.
Progression sketchpad
Add chords above, or start from a preset. Change the tonic to transpose; changing the scale or chord size reharmonizes the same degrees.
Your progression starts here. Up to 16 chords.
Audition plays one root-position chord per beat in the selected octave. It previews harmony; it does not choose guitar fingerings or arrange voice leading.
Read the chart
Uppercase numerals indicate major triads; lowercase indicate minor. ° means diminished, + means augmented, ø7 means half-diminished. The degree numbers refer to the selected scale, so natural minor uses III, VI and VII. A major-reference chart may write these as ♭III, ♭VI and ♭VII.
A chord’s root stays the same in every inversion; its bass changes. Note spellings preserve the scale’s seven letter names, including E♯, C♭ and double accidentals where needed. In 12-tone equal temperament, enharmonic notes share a key or fret but carry different harmonic meanings.
These chords use only the chosen scale’s notes. Songs can combine minor forms, borrow chords, or use chromatic harmony. Use the chart as a starting point for your ears.