Chord quality
Recognizing chord quality by ear means knowing, from the sound alone, whether a chord is major, minor, diminished or augmented, without needing to know its root. Major sounds stable and bright; minor, darker; diminished, tense; augmented, suspended. Then come the seventh chords and, at level 3, inverted chords.
Your best score is saved on this device only.
On a computer: keys 1–3 answer, R replays the sound and Enter goes to the next one.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
What chord is this?
How to practice chords by ear
- At first, play the chord as an arpeggio: hearing the notes one by one lets you catch the 3rd, which separates major from minor.
- Then switch to “Together”, the way the chord sounds in a song.
- Always compare with your wrong answer: hearing both back to back is what makes the difference stick.
- At level 3 the chord is inverted (another note in the bass). The quality doesn’t change: listen to the whole sound, not just the lowest note.
Chord types and how they sound
| Chord | Formula | On C | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | 1 · 3 · 5 | C C · E · G | Stable, bright, resolved |
| Minor | 1 · ♭3 · 5 | Cm C · E♭ · G | Darker, serious or sad |
| Diminished | 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 | C° C · E♭ · G♭ | Tense, unstable, wants to resolve |
| Augmented | 1 · 3 · ♯5 | C+ C · E · G♯ | Suspended, dreamy, ungrounded |
| Major 7th | 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 | C7M C · E · G · B | Smooth and sophisticated (bossa nova, jazz) |
| Dominant 7th | 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 | C7 C · E · G · B♭ | Tense in a good way: wants to move to the next chord (blues) |
| Minor 7th | 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7 | Cm7 C · E♭ · G · B♭ | Relaxed minor (soul, R&B) |
| Half-diminished | 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7 | Cm7(♭5) C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ | Unstable minor; sets up the V in a minor key |
| Diminished 7th | 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · 𝄫7 | C°7 C · E♭ · G♭ · B𝄫 | Very tense, suspenseful; all notes equally spaced |
Chord ear training FAQ
How do I tell major from minor by ear?
The difference is a single note: the 3rd. In major it’s 4 semitones above the root and the chord sounds bright; in minor it’s 3 semitones above and the sound darkens. Listen in arpeggio, focusing on the middle note, and compare the two back to back.
What’s the difference between diminished and augmented?
Both are tense, but in opposite ways. Diminished stacks two minor 3rds (it sounds closed and tight, as if it wants to move). Augmented stacks two major 3rds (it sounds open and floating, without resolving).
What are seventh chords?
Four-note chords: the triad plus the 7th. The five most used are maj7 (major seventh), 7 (dominant), m7 (minor seventh), m7♭5 (half-diminished) and dim7 (diminished seventh). They’re the seventh chords of the diatonic harmony.
Does an inversion change the chord quality?
No. Inverting means putting another chord tone in the bass (the 3rd, 5th or 7th). C, C/E and C/G are all C major. The sound changes a little, which is why level 3 is harder, but the answer is still the quality.