Bright Piano Chords

Every chord here has a major third and nothing in it sharp enough to unsettle that. They are the chords to reach for when a passage needs to sound resolved rather than loaded, and several of them are so settled that a piece can simply stop on one and be finished.

48 chords carry this tag, across 4 chord types: major, major 6th, six-nine, add 9. Each one has its notes spelled for that key, a fingering worked out from its own shape, a staff, and a keyboard you can hear it on.

Triads

Three notes. Every one of these is playable with one hand from day one, and between them they cover most of the music anybody starts out learning.

Major Chords

The most common chords in music. Major chords sound bright, happy, and resolved.

C
C – E – G
Db
Db – F – Ab
D
D – F# – A
Eb
Eb – G – Bb
E
E – G# – B
F
F – A – C
F#
F# – A# – C#
G
G – B – D
Ab
Ab – C – Eb
A
A – C# – E
Bb
Bb – D – F
B
B – D# – F#

Added-note chords

Triads with an extra colour note and no seventh. They stay consonant, which is why pop, gospel and film writing lean on them so hard.

Major 6th Chords

Major 6th chords have a warm, nostalgic quality popular in jazz and oldies.

C6
C – E – G – A
Db6
Db – F – Ab – Bb
D6
D – F# – A – B
Eb6
Eb – G – Bb – C
E6
E – G# – B – C#
F6
F – A – C – D
F#6
F# – A# – C# – D#
G6
G – B – D – E
Ab6
Ab – C – Eb – F
A6
A – C# – E – F#
Bb6
Bb – D – F – G
B6
B – D# – F# – G#

Six-Nine Chords

Six-nine chords sound plush and completely settled, which is why arrangers end on them.

C6/9
C – E – G – A – D
Db6/9
Db – F – Ab – Bb – Eb
D6/9
D – F# – A – B – E
Eb6/9
Eb – G – Bb – C – F
E6/9
E – G# – B – C# – F#
F6/9
F – A – C – D – G
F#6/9
F# – A# – C# – D# – G#
G6/9
G – B – D – E – A
Ab6/9
Ab – C – Eb – F – Bb
A6/9
A – C# – E – F# – B
Bb6/9
Bb – D – F – G – C
B6/9
B – D# – F# – G# – C#

Add 9 Chords

Add9 chords are bright and shimmering, a modern pop and worship music staple.

Cadd9
C – E – G – D
Dbadd9
Db – F – Ab – Eb
Dadd9
D – F# – A – E
Ebadd9
Eb – G – Bb – F
Eadd9
E – G# – B – F#
Fadd9
F – A – C – G
F#add9
F# – A# – C# – G#
Gadd9
G – B – D – A
Abadd9
Ab – C – Eb – Bb
Aadd9
A – C# – E – B
Bbadd9
Bb – D – F – C
Badd9
B – D# – F# – C#

Other tags

The same 288 chords, sorted a different way.

StylePop84Jazz192Blues36Rock48Classical72Gospel & Soul120Funk72Film Score96
MoodBright48Dark72Tense96Dreamy72
UseFirst Chords34Songwriting96Passing Chords36Two-Hand Chords108
LevelBeginner54Intermediate97Advanced137

Back to the full chord library for all 288 chords grouped by type.