What Are the 12 Major Chords?
There are 12 major chords that you can play on the piano. To make a major chord, you play the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of a major scale together. For example, the C major scale has the notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. So you use C E G to make the major chord.
Keep in mind that you call one black note by 2 names, like C# and Db. Chords like this have the same notes but are called and written differently. Both ways will be written here.
About Major Chords
Major chords are written as just a letter name. They come from major scales and use the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale with the same name. (You can learn more about this on the chord theory page.)
Here they are:
Gb = Gb Bb Db
Video Playlist of the 12 Major Chords
Chart of The 12 Major Chords (+ 2)
Charts can be useful and here is one for you. This is the chart of all the major chords for piano. You can also find this and the individual major chords at Piano Lessons on Pinterest.
Chart of Major ChordsMajor Chord Quiz / Game
We have created a little quiz or game for you to practice coming up with the notes in the different major chords.
Check out the major chords quiz page here.
Old School Chart:
This is the original chart of the major chords I published on the site. I've just left it up here as it shows things slightly differently and you may find it useful.
| Chord | Notes | Picture |
| C | C E G |  |
| 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# |  |
| Gb | Gb Bb Db |  |
| G | G B D |  |
| Ab | Ab C Eb |  |
| A | A C# E |  |
| B | B D# F# |  |
These major chords are the most common ones you’ll come across when playing a song. Learning and knowing these will get you a long way. To learn some more kinds of chords, go to minor chords or back to chord charts.
Free Download:
Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet
Subscribe below and get free access to the (printable) Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet.
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Return from 12 Major Chords to Piano Lessons Homepage.
More pages that might help:
What Are Piano Chords?
Answering the question: what are piano chords? Find the basics here.
Ab Piano Chord Notes, Finger Positions & How to Play It
How to play Ab major chord with notes, inversions, chord chart and more!
Db Chord Piano: Notes, Fingers & How To Play It
How to play Db chord on piano, which fingers and notes to use, plus video and pictures!
Basic Piano Chords
Learn some of the most common and basic piano chords. Learn the chord names and the notes to play them.
How to Play Bb Piano Chord: Notes, Inversions & More!
Learn how to play the Bb major chord, notes and fingers to use, video to show you how, Bb/D. Bb/F, inversions and more.
Chord Piano Lessons with Video
Free video chord piano lessons. Learn how to play chords and how to get better at playing chords.
How to Play Piano by Chords
Learning to play piano by chords is a great approach and a fast approach to learning the piano. Here's a list of the steps you need to take to do that.
Piano Chord Chart Book - A Peek Inside
Here's a peek inside my new piano chord chart book. It has piano chord charts for different chord types and different keys.
How to Read Piano Chords
Learn to read piano chords and find out what they mean!
D Chord on Piano + Diagram, How To & Theory
Learn how to play the D chord on piano with diagram, fingering, D/A, D/F# and a theory explainer.
Piano Chords Diagrams
Piano chords diagrams show you how to build chords and what notes to use to play chords.
C# Piano Chord Notes, Inversions & How To Play It
Learn what notes are in the C# major chord, how to play it, what fingers to use and how to play the inversions.
How To Play Melody with Chords on Piano - Step by Step
The step by step process you can take to play melody with chords on piano.
7th Chords On Piano - Charts, Explanation & Theory
Learn all about 7th chords on piano and get the chart of the 7th piano chords. Plus theory!
Understanding Piano Chords
Help for understanding piano chords and a basic overview of what chords are.
F Chord on Piano | How To Play It
How to play the F Chord on piano, notes, diagrams, fingers, F/A and F/C plus a little theory to fully explain this F major chord.
Free Download:
Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet
Subscribe below and get free access to the (printable) Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet.
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