Chord & Scale Reference: Piano, Guitar & MIDI

How to use the chord and scale reference

Choose Chords or Scales, pick a root note and a type. You see the correctly spelled notes, the intervals and semitones, the MIDI note numbers, the keys on a piano and either guitar chord shapes or the scale across the guitar neck. Press Download MIDI to get a standard MIDI file: a one-bar chord block, or the scale going up to the octave, ready to drag into any DAW. Chords include major, minor, 7th, maj7, m7, diminished, augmented, sus2, sus4, 6th, 9th chords and more. Scales include major, minor, all the modes, pentatonics and blues.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in a C major chord?

C, E and G: the root, the major 3rd and the perfect 5th.

What is the difference between a major and minor chord?

A minor chord has a minor 3rd (3 semitones above the root) instead of a major 3rd (4 semitones). The root and 5th are the same.

What are the notes of the A minor pentatonic scale?

A, C, D, E and G. It is the same set of notes as C major pentatonic, starting from A.

What MIDI note number is A4?

A4 (440 Hz) is MIDI note 69, and middle C (C4) is 60. The MIDI files from this tool use that standard.

Why is it spelled E# and not F?

Each scale uses every letter once, so F# major has E# as its 7th note. The tool spells notes the way music theory expects.

Will the MIDI file work in my DAW?

Yes. It is a standard type 0 MIDI file that Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, Cubase, Reaper and other DAWs open.

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