Why we created this Guitar Chord Identifier

Welcome to your new favorite guitar-playing tool! A chord identifier will help you find chords you don’t know yet so that you can play a new song you’re learning, or work on an arrangement of your own. If you’re new to using a tool like a chord identifier, then we have some helpful tips and info below the tool that you can read. Let’s rock n roll! 

Common scenarios where you’ll need a chord identifier to find out what chord this is

When you’re just starting to explore the fretboard and learn your favorite songs, you’ll repeatedly ask yourself “What chord is this?” It’s a question that will annoy and pester you no matter how advanced you may become as a player, which is why using a chord identifier to find chords is so useful. 

A few of the most common scenarios nearly all guitar players will come across when identifying chords by notes or just finding chords include: 

• If you don’t know the chord of course! A chord identifier or reverse chord finder can help you identify the shape in the tab or sheet music you’re playing from. It’s not expected for many beginners to be able to know more than the basic shapes of the guitar. Many chord shapes are derived from simple variations of chords as basic as G or D, and that’s why we put so much work into our chord detector and reverse chord finder that you see above. 
• Many chord charts or tabs give the wrong shape! It’s quite amazing how often a tab or sheet music will suggest a chord that is not appropriate for the guitarist. This is often because the transcriber may not be a guitar player, or they may use some sort of software instead of just their ear to transcribe. 
• You’ll need a chord identifier or chord detector when trying to create a solo arrangement. Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, and Joe Pass are just a few of the masters of solo guitar playing, and the only way you can create arrangements like theirs is to have a wide knowledge of chords and chord theory. This is because you are harmonizing melodies with your chords, and those basic chord shapes you know will not be appropriate to use most of the time. 
• You’ll need a reverse chord finder guitar tool if you want to learn a different place of the fretboard to solo over a chord progression or find a new way to play a harmony. The fretboard is arranged in a way where you don’t have to stick to just the first 3 notes, and use only the most widely known chord shapes! There is much potential for innovation on the fretboard if you take the time to get your hands and fingertips a little dirty. 

Frequently asked questions about using a chord identification tool

What guitar chord is this?

The best way to find out what guitar chord you’re playing, or what’s in the tab you’re learning from is to use a chord detector. The other best way is to learn lots of chord shapes and some chord theory to do that. Oftentimes though, a chord you’re learning will be a close variation of something you already know and you won’t have to find chords. 

Can you tell me how to find out what chord you’re playing? How to identify chords in music? 

The more shapes you know the more chords you’ll be able to figure out. For instance, the A major shape can be easily turned into at least a dozen other chords with other names! It’s all about being familiar with the shape and being able to identify it in a tab when you see it. However, a chord identifier like the one above will also help immensely if you can’t do that yet. 

Okay, what concepts should I learn to understand how to know the chord name?

There are four main classes of chords/shapes: the major chords, the minor chords, and 7th chords. There are also diminished chords, but those are trickier to use than the others. For now, you can take the time to learn all the most important chord shapes and how chords are made. After that, you can learn what makes a minor chord and a major chord. Finally, you can learn how those major or minor chords turn into m7, maj7, and just plain 7 chords.  

Can you help me learn how to identify chords? 

We’d love to! Be sure to read our last section about some of the most important concepts and shapes to know though. There are about 4-5 major and minor chord shapes you should easily identify, and then about 3-4 7th chord shapes that are closely related to those shapes. Be patient though as it takes practice and you need to become familiar with these shapes to see how they’re used in your favorite songs. 

Is there a tool that identifies chords? 

I’m glad you asked! We have a chord identifier tool up above on this page that can be used as a reverse chord finder, a chord detector, and to use as a note finder guitar reference. Use this tool to find chords that will sound just like the ones in the songs you’re learning!

How to convert guitar chords to the piano:

This is definitely a subject more fit for an entire article, but we can give you a brief overview right here. First, it’s important to know your intervals well enough so that you can recreate the distances between the notes of a guitar chord. Next, layout the notes of the chord in the way that is on the fretboard. For the E major chord that looks like 022100, that would be E – B – E – G# – B – E. Finally, find an appropriate way to play this chord as closely as possible on the piano. The guitar is arranged very differently from the piano and so it may not be practical in some cases to play the chord on the piano like it is on the piano.

What note is this?

Ah ha now this is a tough question to answer without using a chord identifier on a chord shape, or seeing the tab and the specific note in question. The best way to find chords or what note is playing is to get a picture of the fretboard that lays out all the notes. Match the fret and string to the note you’re seeing to the one on the chart and you’ll find it! 

About The Uberchord Mobile App

Our mobile app includes all the features we just mentioned, as well as a few more! While the app can’t identify chords in music like the shazam app recognizes song titles and artists, it can identify chord you’re playing on the fretboard. Just give it a second to look at the chord first! It can identify individual chords by your fingering and your strumming/picking of it. We hope that you’ll search for the Uberchord App in the Apple store today.