Piano Chord Chart (Free Printable)
Major, minor, dominant 7th and diminished chords in all 12 keys — each one drawn on a keyboard diagram with every key you press labelled by name and the root shaded darker. Print the whole set, or just the majors and minors while you are starting out. Hit Print or Download PDF for one US Letter page, no signup. The notes come straight out of the scale of each key.
Prints on one US Letter page. Set margins to "None" for the sharpest result.
Piano Chord Chart
Major, minor, dominant 7th and diminished in all 12 keys · shaded keys are the chord, the darker key is the root
| Chord type | Written | Formula | Keys up from root | What it sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | C, CM, Cmaj | 1 – 3 – 5 | 0 – 4 – 7 | Bright and settled — the chord most songs start and end on |
| Minor | Cm, Cmin, C– | 1 – ♭3 – 5 | 0 – 3 – 7 | Darker; only the middle note moves, one key down from major |
| Dominant 7th | C7 | 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 | 0 – 4 – 7 – 10 | Restless — pulls toward the chord a fourth above it (G7 → C) |
| Diminished | Cdim, C° | 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 | 0 – 3 – 6 | Tense and unresolved — minor with the top note lowered as well |
Each chord is spelled from its own scale, so C♭ is the B key and F♭ is the E key. E♭dim and A♭dim are printed as D♯dim and G♯dim — the same three keys, written without double flats. · printablepolly.com/piano-chords
How to Read the Chord Chart
1. Count keys, not letters
Every chord on the chart is the same recipe moved to a new starting key. Count up from the root including the black keys: 4 then 3 gives you a major chord, 3 then 4 gives you a minor one. That is why the shapes look so similar down a column — C major and G major are the identical count, just started somewhere else. The intervals chart names the distances the counting is measuring.
2. Major to minor is one key
Play C E G, then move the E down to E♭ and play it again. Nothing else changed and the whole mood did. Do the same to every major chord on the sheet and you have the minor column without memorising a second set of shapes — the middle finger simply lands one key to the left.
3. 7ths pull, diminished chords push
A dominant 7th is a major chord with one extra note 10 keys above the root, and that note makes the chord lean somewhere — G7 leans hard onto C, which is the single most common move in western music. A diminished chord has both its third and its fifth lowered, so it has no home at all and works as a step between two chords. More on how chords fit into keys is in the music theory basics chart.
4. Learn the keys in circle-of-fifths order
C first — no black keys — then G, D, A and E, each adding a single sharp to the one before, so there is only ever one new key under the hand. The circle of fifths gives that running order and shows which chords belong together in a song, and the piano scales chart is the scale each of these chords was lifted out of.
5. Then stop jumping — use inversions
Root-position C to F moves all three fingers a fourth. Play the F with C at the bottom instead — C F A — and the thumb never leaves its key. That is the next thing to learn once these shapes are solid, and the chord inversions chart prints the same 12 keys in all three positions. Writing a progression out on blank staff paper from memory is the fastest way to make any of it stick.
Printable PDF
The chart above is the whole thing — 48 chords across 12 keys on one US Letter page, with the chord formulas underneath. Print the major-and-minor sheet for a first-year student and the full sheet for the music stand. No signup, no watermark.
Make this chart last
A chart that lives on the music stand wants 65 lb cardstock, and laminating it lets a student circle the chords in this week’s song with a dry-erase pen and wipe them off. Our guide to the best printing supplies for charts and worksheets compares the cardstock, ink, laminating pouches and sheet protectors worth buying.
Method Books & Music Binders
As an Amazon Associate, Printable Polly earns from qualifying purchases. Prices are approximate and set by Amazon.
- Adult method book
Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-One Course, Book 1
Teaches chords early and uses them straight away to harmonise melodies, which is what a chord chart is for. Lesson, theory and technique are in one volume, so an adult starting alone is not buying three books.
- Kid-friendly method
Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 Lesson Book
The standard beginner series for younger students — shorter pieces and more pictures, with the first chord shapes arriving alongside tunes that actually use them.
- Goes deeper than a chart
Alfred's The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios & Cadences
Where this page stops, that book keeps going: every scale and chord written out in notation with fingerings and cadences in all 24 keys. The natural next step once the four chord types here are in the hand.
- Sheet-music binder
Avery Durable View 3-Ring Binder, 1 Inch
A 1-inch binder holds this chart, your scale sheets and a term of photocopied music in one place, and the clear front sleeve takes a printed cover. Cheaper and flatter on the music desk than a folder full of loose pages.
- For the binder
Avery Heavyweight Sheet Protectors (Top Loading, 50 ct)
Slide the chart into one and it stops creasing on the music stand — and a dry-erase pen will write on the sleeve, so a student can circle the chords in a song and wipe them off next week.
More Printable Music Charts
Piano Scales
The scale every one of these chords comes from
🎹Chord Inversions
The same triads with a different note in the bass
🎯Circle of Fifths
Which chords belong together in a key
🎵Music Theory Basics
Intervals, dynamics & tempo
📐Music Intervals Chart
Every distance a chord is built from
🎼Key Signatures Chart
All 15 keys in treble & bass clef
🎸Guitar Chords
The same chords as fretboard shapes
🎼Staff Paper
Blank staves to write them out on
FAQ
How do you build a piano chord?
Pick a root note, then count keys up from it — black keys included. Major is 4 keys up to the third and 3 more to the fifth (C E G). Minor lowers that third by one key (C E♭ G). A dominant 7th is a major chord plus a note 10 keys above the root (C E G B♭), and a diminished chord lowers both the third and the fifth (C E♭ G♭). Those four counts build every chord on this chart in all 12 keys.
What is the difference between a major and a minor chord?
One key. C major is C E G; C minor is C E♭ G — the middle note slides down one semitone and nothing else moves. That single key is what makes major sound bright and settled and minor sound darker. Compare any two diagrams in the first two columns of the chart and only the middle shaded key changes position.
What notes are in a C major chord?
C, E and G. On the keyboard that is the white key left of the two black keys, then skip a white key, then skip another — C, E, G with your thumb, middle finger and little finger. C minor is C, E♭ and G; C7 is C, E, G and B♭; C diminished is C, E♭ and G♭.
What does the 7 mean in a chord like G7?
It adds a fourth note a minor seventh above the root — 10 keys up. G7 is G B D F: the G major chord plus F. That extra note clashes gently with the B, and the ear wants that clash resolved, which is why G7 pulls so strongly toward C. Every blues, gospel and jazz turnaround runs on that pull.
What is a diminished chord used for?
Tension and travel. Both the third and the fifth are lowered (C E♭ G♭), so the chord has no stable home and wants to move somewhere. In practice it works as a passing chord between two chords a step apart, and as the chord built on the seventh degree of any major scale — B diminished in C major, which behaves like a G7 without its root.
Which piano chords should a beginner learn first?
C, G, F, Am, Dm and Em. Those six cover an enormous share of pop, folk and hymn repertoire, and only F needs a black key. Print the major-and-minor sheet, learn those six until your hand finds them without looking, then add the 7ths — G7 and D7 first, because they show up in almost every song in C and G.
What fingers do you use to play piano chords?
For a three-note chord in root position, right hand 1-3-5 (thumb, middle, little finger) and left hand 5-3-1. Four-note 7th chords use right hand 1-2-3-5 and left hand 5-3-2-1. Those fingerings hold for every key on this chart — the hand shape barely changes, only which keys are black.
Is this piano chord chart free to print?
Yes. Choose which chord types you want, then click Print or Download PDF and all 12 keys land on one US Letter page. No signup, no watermark, and no limit on copies for a classroom or a studio.