Chord Shapes

Altered Dominant4shapes
Intervals: 1-3-b5-b7 plus any combination of b9, #9, b5/#11, #5/b13. “V7alt” is a shorthand indicating that the 5th and 9th are altered in some way and that the altered scale (7th mode of melodic minor) is the default melodic resource. In practice, a 7alt voicing may not literally contain every a...
Diminished 7th4shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-b5-bb7 (enharmonically a major 6th). A stack of minor 3rds dividing the octave into four equal parts. This symmetry means any note can be treated as the root and the same shape can resolve to several different targets. The dim7 chord is one of the most dissonant sonorities in comm...
Diminished Triad8shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-b5. Built from two stacked minor 3rds, the diminished triad sounds compressed, unstable and slightly eerie. In functional harmony it appears as a leading-tone chord (vii°) or as ii° in minor, often in first inversion to lessen its harshness. In jazz and popular music it is more of...
Dominant 11th9shapes
Canonical intervals: 1-3-5-b7-9-11. In practice many V11 voicings omit the 3rd to avoid the strong clash between 3 and 11, effectively giving a sus4 or “IV over V” sound (e.g. Fmaj7/G as G11). In funk, gospel and soul, dominant 11-type voicings over a bass root are common as static vamps and turn...
Dominant 11th Flat 9th4shapes
Intervals (theoretical): 1-3-5-b7-b9-11, though real-world voicings usually thin this out to a compact cluster of guide tones plus b9 and 11. This sonority belongs to the most highly charged layer of dominant harmony, combining both the b9’s clash with the root and the 11’s potential clash with t...
Dominant 13th7shapes
Intervals (practical): 1-3-5-b7-9-13, with the 11 usually omitted. In voicings the root and 5th are often dropped, leaving 3-b7-9-13 as the basic shape. This is one of the most idiomatic dominant colours in big-band and small-group jazz: the 13 (equivalent to the 6) brings a warm, gospel-like bri...
Dominant 13th Flat 9th3shapes
Typical intervals: 1-3-5-b7-b9-13, most often voiced as 3-b7-b9-13. The combination of a dark, Phrygian-style b9 with a warm 13 makes this a favourite V chord in minor iiø–V–i progressions and in rich cadences in both major and minor. Conceptually it relates to the 5th mode of harmonic or melodic...
Dominant 13th Sharp 11th2shapes
Intervals (conceptual): 1-3-5-b7-9-#11-13, though any given voicing will choose a subset. This is a fully extended Lydian dominant chord, producing an extremely open, luminous dominant quality. It is ideal for long pedal points on a single dominant (e.g. IV13#11 in a bluesy setting) and for cinem...
Dominant 13th Sharp 9th2shapes
Intervals (typical voicing): 1-3-5-b7-#9-13. This merges the blues-inflected #9 colour with the smooth 13 of a dominant 13th chord. It is common on V chords in funk, fusion and sophisticated blues where the harmony stays on a single dominant for a long time. Compared with a plain 7#9, adding 13 s...
Dominant 13th Suspended 4th2shapes
Typical intervals: 1-4-5-b7-9-13, usually omitting the 5th. Essentially a 9sus4 chord enriched with a 13, this is a classic gospel and soul sonority frequently heard on IV and V chords. Because the 3rd is absent, it behaves more like a IVmaj9(6) over a dominant bass than a strict V that must reso...
Dominant 7th11shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-b7. The dominant 7th is the workhorse V chord in tonal and jazz harmony. Its defining feature is the tritone between the 3rd and b7, which creates strong functional pull to a chord a perfect 4th above (or 5th below) – typically the tonic or a temporary key centre. In classical-st...
Dominant 7th Flat 56shapes
Intervals: 1-3-b5-b7. An altered dominant where the perfect 5th is lowered, so the root and b5 also form a tritone. This greatly increases the sense of instability compared with a plain V7. In functional terms it still behaves as a dominant, especially in minor keys or as a secondary dominant tar...
Dominant 7th Flat 5 Flat 9th2shapes
Intervals: 1-3-b5-b7-b9. A heavily altered dominant combining the unstable b5 with the intensely dissonant b9 against the root. It is closely related to the fully diminished chord built on the 3rd of the dominant: if you drop the root, what is left is a °7 sonority that wants to resolve by semito...
Dominant 7th Flat 5 Sharp 9th2shapes
Intervals: 1-3-b5-b7-#9. This altered dominant sits between the diminished-based 7b9 sound and the bluesier #9 sound. The #9 (enharmonic to a minor 3rd above the root) clashes against the major 3rd, while the b5 thins out the chord’s core. The result is a dominant that is both bitter and expressi...
Dominant 7th Flat 9th4shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-b7-b9. A textbook altered dominant, especially in minor keys. The b9 forms a semitone clash with the root but also acts as a leading tone down into the tonic’s 5th or root. In minor iiø–V–i progressions (e.g. Bø7–E7b9–Am), the b9 is almost the default colour, coming naturally fro...
Dominant 7th Sharp 11th2shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-b7-9-#11. The characteristic chord of the Lydian dominant mode (4th mode of melodic minor). The #11 gives a bright, floating colour without the harsh 4–3 clash of a natural 11 against the 3rd. Functionally, 7#11 is often a secondary dominant or a dominant that behaves more like a...
Dominant 7th Sharp 56shapes
Intervals: 1-3-#5-b7. Functionally a dominant built on an augmented triad. The raised 5th creates a strong urge to resolve upwards by semitone to the 3rd of the next chord, and the chord sits neatly inside the altered and whole-tone scales. In major keys it is often used as a V of I that feels pa...
Dominant 7th Sharp 5 Flat 9th2shapes
Intervals: 1-3-#5-b7-b9. This combines the upward pull of the #5 with the dark crunch of the b9. It can be viewed as a 7b9 chord with the 5th raised to create stronger voice-leading into either major or minor tonics. In minor iiø–V–i cadences, the b9 is almost idiomatic, and adding #5 further hei...
Dominant 7th Sharp 5 Sharp 9th6shapes
Intervals: 1-3-#5-b7-#9. One of the most saturated altered dominants: the #5 leans upwards, the #9 leans towards resolution, and the core tritone still demands movement. This chord is strongly associated with the altered scale (7th mode of melodic minor) and with late bebop and modern jazz vocabu...
Dominant 7th Sharp 9th5shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-b7-#9. Famous as the “Hendrix chord”, this sonority superimposes a bluesy minor 3rd (#9) over a major 3rd, giving a raw, mixed major/minor quality. In rock, funk and blues it is often used on the tonic rather than as a resolving V, creating a harmonically static but highly charge...
Dominant 7th Suspended 2nd4shapes
Intervals: 1-2-5-b7. A dominant 7th with the 3rd replaced by the 2nd, blurring the major/minor quality while preserving dominant function through the b7. Compared with 7sus4 it is gentler and more open, with less built-in need to resolve. In functional harmony it can behave as V7sus2 resolving to...
Dominant 7th Suspended 4th8shapes
Intervals: 1-4-5-b7 (often with added 9). A dominant 7th where the 3rd is replaced by the 4th, creating a strong tendency for the 4th to resolve down by semitone to the 3rd. In jazz and gospel harmony V7sus4 frequently resolves to V7 then to I, giving a powerful “held breath then release” effect....
Dominant 9th9shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-b7-9. A dominant 7th with an added 9th, one of the most standard dominant extensions in jazz, soul and funk. From the perspective of the parent Mixolydian scale the 9th is a diatonic colour tone that softens the bare 7th chord and fills out the upper register. Many practical voic...
Dominant 9th Flat 55shapes
Intervals: 1-3-b5-b7-9. A dominant 7b5 with an added 9th. The 9th brings spaciousness while the b5 undermines the chord’s stability, making this useful for transitional dominants, particularly in chromatic progressions or as V of a minor or modal target. It is sonically halfway between an unalter...
Dominant 9th Sharp 11th4shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-b7-9-#11. Essentially a Lydian dominant 7#11 chord extended with a 9th. The natural 9 keeps the sound open and consonant, while the #11 supplies the characteristic raised 4th shimmer. This sonority appears frequently as a static vamp in fusion and modal jazz (for example, an E9#1...
Dominant 9th Sharp 52shapes
Intervals: 1-3-#5-b7-9. A 7#5 chord with the added warmth of a 9th. This combines the augmented upward motion of the #5 with the smoothness of the 9th, and is common where the melody or inner voice hits the 9th on a strongly altered dominant. In many contexts players will simply treat this as a v...
Dominant 9th Suspended 4th2shapes
Intervals: 1-4-5-b7-9 (often omitting the 5th). Essentially a 7sus4 chord with an added 9th, strongly associated with modal harmony and quartal voicings. Because the 3rd is absent, the chord doesn’t carry the same must-resolve tension as a traditional V7, and can happily act as a tonic modal sono...
Major 11th10shapes
Intervals (theoretical): 1-3-5-7-9-11. In practice, the 3rd or 11th is often omitted to avoid the strong semitone clash between them. With the 3rd removed, a maj11 voicing behaves more like a sus4 or “IV over I” structure (for example G/C implying Cmaj9(11)). This makes it more of a special colou...
Major 13th8shapes
Intervals (practical): 1-3-5-7-9-13, with 11 usually omitted. This is the fully extended major-family chord and when voiced carefully (often as 3-7-9-13) it produces a very lush, orchestral major sound. On I it can act as a climactic tonic sonority at the end of a phrase, particularly in slow tem...
Major 6/96shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-6-9. A very smooth, modern major tonic sonority that omits the 7th and instead uses 6 and 9, effectively outlining the major pentatonic scale. It is a favourite final chord colour in ballads and bossa novas (e.g. many performances of “The Girl from Ipanema” end on a I6/9). The ab...
Major 6th8shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-6. A major triad with a natural 6th, strongly associated with swing-era jazz, early standards and guitar comping. On I it is a classic tonic sound and is often preferred over Imaj7 in more traditional or blues-inflected styles (many standards end on I6 or I6/9). The 6th adds warm...
Major 7th9shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-7. A major triad with a major 7th, giving a soft, dreamy tension because the 7th lies just a semitone below the root. In jazz harmony maj7 chords occur naturally as Imaj7 and IVmaj7 in major keys and often serve as key centres in standard progressions (“All the Things You Are”, “...
Major 7th Flat 57shapes
Intervals: 1-3-b5-7. An uncommon but striking major-family sonority, closely associated with the 3rd mode of melodic minor (Lydian b5). The flattened 5th gives the chord a slightly hollow, otherworldly tone while the major 7th maintains a smooth, “major” backdrop. It typically functions as a toni...
Major 7th Inversion9shapes
Same chord tones as a root-position maj7 (1-3-5-7), but with 3rd, 5th or 7th in the bass. Inversions change the feel: first inversion tends to sound particularly smooth and is common in pop and jazz piano to keep bass lines stepwise; second inversion emphasises the 5th and is useful for pedal poi...
Major 7th Sharp 11th5shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-7-9-#11 (optionally 13). The archetypal Lydian maj7 chord. Raising the 4th to #11 removes the harsh 4–3 clash and creates a bright, floating quality strongly associated with modern jazz and film music. As a tonic, it implies the Lydian mode (scale with raised 4th) rather than sta...
Major 7th Sharp 510shapes
Intervals: 1-3-#5-7. A fusion of maj7 and the augmented triad, characteristic of the Lydian augmented mode (3rd mode of melodic minor). The sharpened 5th gives a strong upward drift, while the major 7th keeps the chord smooth rather than overtly dissonant. It commonly functions as a tonic or subd...
Major 7th Suspended 2nd6shapes
Intervals (conceptual): 1-2-5-7, often with additional colour tones. By omitting the 3rd and including the major 7th, this chord sounds both suspended and sophisticated. It is more a textural or modal sonority than a standard functional harmony and is common in film, ambient and contemporary jazz...
Major 7th Suspended 4th4shapes
Intervals (conceptual): 1-4-5-7, often with added 9. Replacing the 3rd of a maj7 with the 4th yields a rich but unsettled sound in which the 4th would like to resolve down to 3 while the 7th stays in place. Rather than being a strict classical suspension, in modern jazz and film scoring it is tre...
Major 9th6shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-7-9. A maj7 chord with an added 9th, one of the most characteristic major colours in jazz, soul and fusion. The 9th adds lyrical brightness while the major 7th provides gentle tension. Many voicings omit the 5th and focus on 3-7-9 (sometimes with 13) around the root. On I it is a...
Major Added Eleventh3shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-11. A major triad with an added 11th (4th) an octave above, typically voiced so that the 11 lies high in the texture. Unlike a full maj11 chord it does not necessarily imply a 7th, and in many uses it behaves more like a mixture of a sus4 and a major chord. In ambient, cinematic ...
Major Added Ninth6shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5-9. A major triad with an added 9th but no 7th. Compared with maj7 or maj9 it sounds very pure and open, strongly associated with acoustic guitar voicings and pop ballads. Because there is no 7th, the chord has little inherent functional tension and can act as tonic, subdominant o...
Major Triad50shapes
Intervals: 1-3-5. The basic consonant building block of Western harmony. Major triads are perceived as bright, stable and resolved, and in tonal music they occupy the key structural positions I, IV and V in major and III, VI and VII (often with alterations) in minor. In jazz, a plain major triad ...
Major Triad Flat 53shapes
Intervals: 1-3-b5. Lowering the 5th of a major triad turns a very stable chord into one that feels unsettled and colouristic. This is not a common functional harmony in standards; it is more often the product of chromatic inner voice-leading (e.g. 5–b5–4 on the way to a sus4 or minor chord) or a ...
Major Triad Sharp 57shapes
Intervals: 1-3-#5. The augmented triad consists of two stacked major 3rds and is symmetrical, repeating every major 3rd inversion. It sounds bright, unstable and forward-leaning, with a strong sense of motion either upwards or sideways into a new key. In classical and popular harmony it often app...
Minor 11th8shapes
Intervals (practical): 1-b3-5-b7-9-11, often voiced without the 5th. The 11th (same pitch as the 4th) adds a suspended, quartal flavour that sits very comfortably on minor chords because it lies a whole step above the minor 3rd. This is the archetypal Dorian/modal minor sound, famously heard in q...
Minor 13th2shapes
Intervals (conceptual): 1-b3-5-b7-9-11-13, though most voicings use a subset such as b3-b7-9-11-13. This chord represents the fullest extension of the minor 7 family and is strongly associated with Dorian and melodic-minor tonality. Because of its density it is mostly used in slower tempos, arran...
Minor 6/95shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-6-9. A lush extension of the minor 6 chord and a classic tonic minor sound in modern jazz. It aligns naturally with the melodic minor scale (1-2-b3-4-5-6-7) and is often used for long i chords in bossa novas and ballads. In voicings, players frequently omit the 5th and stack b3-...
Minor 6th8shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-6. A minor triad with a natural 6th. This chord is closely tied to Dorian and melodic minor contexts and is a traditional tonic minor sound in swing and gypsy jazz. Compared with m7 it feels more “closed” and resolved, because the 6th does not create the same dominant-leaning te...
Minor 7th8shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-b7. One of the core harmonies in jazz. The minor 7th chord sounds mellow, cool and slightly melancholic but not highly tense. In major keys it appears naturally as ii, iii and vi; in minor, as i or iv and on other scale degrees by modal interchange. As a ii chord in the ubiquito...
Minor 7th Flat 58shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-b5-b7. Also called the half-diminished chord. In jazz it is the standard ii chord in minor iiø–V–i progressions (e.g. Bm7b5–E7–Am). The combination of b5 and b7 creates a hollow, tense sound that leans strongly towards the following dominant. Conceptually, a m7b5 chord can be hear...
Minor 7th Inversion9shapes
Same chord tones as a root-position m7 (1-b3-5-b7) but with 3rd, 5th or b7 in the bass. Inversions allow the minor 7th sound to be woven into smoother bass lines and inner voice-leading: first inversion emphasises the minor 3rd and often feels comparatively stable, second inversion gives a suspen...
Minor 7th Sharp 52shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-#5-b7. A rare and ambiguous minor sonority produced by raising the 5th of a minor 7 chord. It often arises from chromatic voice-leading or as a re-spelling of other chords (for example as part of an altered dominant or diminished structure) rather than as a stable functional harmo...
Minor 9th15shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-b7-9. A staple minor extension. Compared with m7, adding the 9th softens and enriches the sound, making it especially suitable for ii chords (e.g. Dm9 in a ii–V–I) and tonic or subdominant minors in ballads. In Dorian or melodic-minor modal settings, m9 can act as a stable tonic...
Minor Added Ninth8shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-9. A minor triad with an added major 9th and no 7th. The 9th adds a lyrical, almost vocal quality to the chord while keeping the harmony relatively simple. In guitar-based pop and rock it is a common colour on tonic or vi chords, where the open-string 9th rings against the minor...
Minor Major 11th4shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-7-9-11. Adds a suspended 11th to the mMaj9 palette, producing an especially dusky, floating version of the melodic-minor tonic sound. The 11th sits a whole step above the minor 3rd, so it does not clash as harshly as an 11 on a major chord, but combined with the major 7th it cre...
Minor Major 7th8shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-7. The tonic 7th chord of the harmonic and melodic minor scales. It combines a minor triad with a major 7th, producing a strongly expressive, film-noir quality: the major 7th acts as a leading tone against the minor tonic. In jazz standards and film themes this chord is used to ...
Minor Major 7th Flat 54shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-b5-7. A variant of the mMaj7 chord where the 5th is flattened, adding extra instability and a somewhat hollow timbre. It fits naturally within certain melodic minor contexts and cinematic writing where a dark tonic minor with a bright leading 7th is desired, but a perfect 5th woul...
Minor Major 9th4shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5-7-9. Extends the mMaj7 chord with a 9th, deepening its melodic-minor, “cinematic” character. The natural 9 is part of the melodic minor scale and gives this chord a haunting, lyrical quality ideal for sustained tonic minor harmonies. In practical voicings, the 5th is often omitt...
Minor Triad51shapes
Intervals: 1-b3-5. The basic minor triad is the primary chord of minor keys and a key colour for ii, iii and vi in major. Compared with a major triad it sounds darker and more introspective, but it is still a stable, consonant sonority without an inherent need to resolve. In jazz and popular musi...
Power Chord3shapes
Intervals: 1-5 (often with added octave). The power chord is a dyad, not a full triad, because it omits the 3rd and therefore has no explicit major or minor quality. Its clean, interval-of-a-5th structure makes it ideal for high-gain electric guitar: distortion emphasises the 5th and octave witho...
Suspended 2nd8shapes
Intervals: 1-2-5. A triad-like chord where the 3rd is replaced by the 2nd, removing major/minor identity and producing an open, modern sound. In rock, pop and folk it often functions as a gentle embellishment of I or IV, resolving to a major triad (2→3) or remaining static in modal progressions. ...
Suspended 2nd Suspended 4th5shapes
Intervals: 1-2-4-5. A suspensory chord containing both 2 and 4, withholding the 3rd entirely. This maximises ambiguity between major and minor and functions mainly as a colour sonority in ambient, film and modern jazz contexts. On guitar it often arises naturally from keeping open strings ringing...
Suspended 4th11shapes
Intervals: 1-4-5. A triad with the 3rd replaced by the 4th. The 4th typically resolves down by semitone to 3 when functioning as a true suspension (e.g. I–sus4–I in hymns and rock ballads). In jazz and rock, sus4 chords are also used as independent sonorities, especially with added 2 or 6, where ...