Common Piano Chords

When it comes to playing the piano, pianists have thousands of chords to select from, with some chords being more popular than others. Check out some of the most common chords in the piano chord chart below, or keep reading to find out more about piano chords.

The most common piano chords include:

1. A major (A). A – C# – E
2. A minor (Am). A – C – E
3. C major (C). C – E – G
4. C minor (Cm). C – Eb – G
5. D major (D). D – F# – A
6. D minor (Dm). D – F – A
7. E major (E). E – G# – B
8. E minor (Em). E – G – B
9. F major (F). F – A – C
10. F minor (Fm). F – Ab – C
11. G major (G). G – B – D
12. G minor (Gm). G – Bb – D

What is a Piano Chord?

A chord is created when more than one note is played at once, and contains two, three, or more individual notes. On the piano, this means you push down more than one key at the same time.

All piano chords contain a root note — this is the note the chord is named after — as well as one or more additional notes. Basic piano chords often consist of only two or three notes, while the more advanced chords tend to incorporate even more notes.

The most common type of keyboard or piano chord is a triad, or three-note chord. A triad contains a root note and two other notes, most often the notes that produce the intervals of a third and fifth above the root note.