Piano chords

Chord Practice

See it, hear it, play it — one chord at a time. No timer, no pressure.

Your hand shape

One shape works for every chord below

1 2 3 4 5

A triad is three notes played together: the root, the third, and the fifth. In root position, every major and minor triad uses the same three fingers:

  • 1 — Thumb, on the root
  • 3 — Middle finger, on the third
  • 5 — Pinky, on the fifth

The only thing that changes for minor is where finger 3 lands: slide it down one half step from the major third and you've got the darker, minor sound.

Playing left hand instead? Mirror it: pinky–middle–thumb (5–3–1).

Chord 1 of 7

C Major

C – E – G