SuperTime Ultra

Chord explorer: see, hear and connect chords

Pick a root and chord type to see the notes on a keyboard and hear the chord. Find chords that often come next and loop a progression over a beat.

Choose a root note and a chord type. The explorer spells the chord, shows it on a piano keyboard and plays it. It also suggests chords that often follow, so you can build a short progression and loop it over a simple beat. It runs in your browser with no account, and sound starts when you press Play or tap a chord.

What this tool includes

18 chord types on 12 roots

Triads (major, minor, sus2, sus4, diminished, augmented and the power chord), sevenths and sixths, and ninths. Each chord lists its note names and scale degrees, with one line on how it sounds.

Keyboard, inversions and playing styles

The chord appears on a piano keyboard with every key labelled. Tap a key to hear that note on its own. Switch between root position and each inversion, and hear the chord as a block chord, a strum or an arpeggio.

Where the chord goes next

Six common next chords, each with its Roman numeral and a short reason. Tap one to hear the move from your chord to it. Both chords then join your progression.

A looping progression

Collect up to eight chords and loop them at one bar of 4/4 each, from 50 to 180 BPM. The loop moves smoothly between voicings, and an optional beat keeps time underneath.

How to use this tool

  1. Choose a root and a chord type from the two menus at the top, or open "Browse roots and chord families" to see every option as a button.
  2. Read the notes and degrees under the chord symbol, then press Play. Tap single keys on the keyboard to pick out each note.
  3. Choose Chord, Strum or Arpeggio, and step through the inversions to hear which note sits at the bottom.
  4. Press "Add to progression", or tap one of the suggested next chords to add your chord and the suggestion together.
  5. Press "Loop it". Change the tempo in 5 BPM steps with the minus and plus buttons and switch the beat on or off. A tempo change starts on the next bar.
  6. Remove a chord with its X button, or press Clear to start again. Your chord, progression, tempo and beat setting stay in this browser for your next visit.

Practice tips

  • Play the chord on your own instrument while the loop runs, and check each note against the keyboard labels.
  • Compare a major chord with the minor chord on the same root. Only the third changes, and it moves down one semitone.
  • Use inversions to keep your hand in one place. Going from C to F is a shorter move when F is in second inversion (C, F, A).
  • Start a loop slowly. Raise the tempo once every change lands cleanly on beat one.
  • When a progression works, follow the drum beat link under the loop to play it over a full groove at the same tempo.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the notes in a chord?

Pick the root and the chord type. The notes appear under the chord symbol with their scale degrees, such as 1, 3 and 5, and the same notes are marked on the keyboard. D minor 7th, for example, is D, F, A and C.

What is a chord inversion?

An inversion puts a note other than the root at the bottom of the chord. A triad has root position and two inversions, and a four-note chord has three. The explorer writes inversions as slash chords, so C major in first inversion is C/E.

How does the tool choose what comes next?

The suggestions are common moves in pop, rock, folk and jazz harmony, worked out from the chord you selected. A major chord is treated as home, so it suggests chords such as IV, V and vi. A seventh chord gets the chords it usually resolves to. Treat them as starting points, because any chord can follow any other.

Can I link to a chord?

Yes. Add ?chord= and a chord symbol to the page address, as in /tools/chord-explorer?chord=Am7, and the explorer opens on that chord.

Why is there no sound?

Browsers start audio only after you interact with the page, so press Play or tap a chord. If it is still silent, check that the tab and device are not muted and press Play again. The loop stops when you switch to another tab.