This is the reference hub for piano chord theory on Looty Chords. Where Learn explains how the Looty Chords practice method works, this page is organized around chord theory itself — the chord types, roots, keys, symbols, and voicings you'll want to look up while you play.
Every chord type below links to a category page listing every root in that category. Every root and category ultimately leads to one of the 300 individual chord pages in the Piano Chords library, each with notes, formula, intervals, an interactive keyboard, audio playback, inversions, and related chords. From any chord page you can jump straight into Practice Mode to build the muscle memory.
Beyond individual chords, the guides below cover how chords are built and named — chord symbols, voicings and inversions, chords grouped by key, how to physically play them, and how chords move through progressions in real songs.
Browse Piano Chords by Type
Ten chord families, from major and minor triads to extended, suspended, and altered chords. Each category page lists every root in that family.
- Major ChordsMajor chords are the foundation of Western harmony. Built from a root, major third, and perfect fifth, they sound…
- Minor ChordsMinor chords lower the third by a half step compared with major. The darker color of root – minor third – perfect fifth…
- Seventh ChordsSeventh chords add a fourth note above the triad. Dominant 7ths drive tension toward resolution, minor 7ths sound…
- Extended ChordsExtended chords stack 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths above seventh chords. On piano you rarely play every theoretical note —…
- Suspended ChordsSuspended chords replace the third with a second (sus2) or fourth (sus4). Without a major or minor third, the harmony…
- Diminished ChordsDiminished harmony stacks minor thirds for a tense, unstable sound. Dim and dim7 chords often act as passing or leading…
- Augmented ChordsAugmented chords raise the fifth by a half step. The resulting whole-tone color feels unsettled and is often used as a…
- Altered ChordsAltered dominants raise or lower chord tones for extra tension before resolving. 7♭5 and 7♯5 keep the dominant function…
- Sixth ChordsSixth chords add the major sixth above a major or minor triad. C6 (C – E – G – A) and Am6 share related notes with…
- Added ChordsAdded-tone chords keep the triad and add an extra color note — most commonly the ninth — without introducing a seventh.…
All Piano Chords
Prefer to browse by root note instead? The Piano Chords library lists all 12 roots and every chord type built on each one.
Piano Chords by Key
Understand how the chords in a key relate to each other, then see a full worked example in C major.
Chord Progressions
Songs move through chord progressions, not isolated chords. Learn the common progressions and how to practice the changes between them.
Piano Chord Symbols
Chord symbols like Cm7, Cmaj7, and Csus4 pack a lot of information into a few characters. This guide explains how to read them.
Piano Chord Voicings & Inversions
The same chord can be played many ways. Learn inversions, shell voicings, rootless voicings, and other practical shapes.
How to Play Chords
Exact right-hand fingering and hand placement for beginner chords, with a chord-change exercise for each one.
Ready to play these chords?
Reading about chords only gets you so far. Pick a key in Practice Mode and build the muscle memory with randomized, timed chord changes.