Make C yours.
Listen, find the notes, then play them back. Your keyboard is the instrument.
Start with Listen, then play the highlighted notes.
⌨ Lower octave: A W S E D F T G Y H U J · Upper: K O L P ; ' ] Z X C V B N. Click inside this studio before using computer keys. On phones, slide the keyboard to reach higher notes. Black keys show both common note names.
Download your current note pattern and tempo, or print a practice sheet.
Take it from notes to music.
C major is built from three notes: C, E and G. Playing them together gives a clear, settled sound, and it is often the first chord a student learns to hear as home base. This lesson looks at how the three notes are arranged, how to find them on the keyboard, and how to check that you have them right.
The three notes and their intervals
The formula 1 3 5 tells you that the chord uses the first, third and fifth notes of the C major scale. Counting up from C, the third is E, which sits four semitones above C, and the fifth is G, which sits seven semitones above C. Those distances, 0, 4 and 7 semitones, are what give the chord its character. Notice that E and G are both white keys, so you can find all three notes on the white keys alone.
Finding the chord on the keyboard
On the browser piano, C4 is the leftmost C. Its computer shortcut is A. E4 uses D, and G4 uses G: try the physical keys A, D, G in that order after clicking inside the studio. Guided mode checks those notes one at a time and highlights only the next expected key. The static reference diagram above the studio shows all three chord tones together. Once the guided sequence feels familiar, switch to Free play to hear the notes together or in your own order.
Hearing the chord and using it
Use Hear the chord above the studio for the simultaneous sound of C, E and G. Listen & repeat is a different task: it plays a short phrase drawn from these notes and asks you to copy the exact order. Start with three notes. C major is the tonic of C major, and the four-chord exercise below connects C major to F major and G major before returning home. This is one possible progression, not a rule that every piece must start on C.
Find C, E and G in order, then repeat a short phrase using those notes by ear.
- Locate C4 at the left end of the studio keyboard and play it once.
- Choose guided mode and play C4, E4 and G4 in order using A, D and G.
- Turn off Guide lights and repeat the same sequence from the note names.
- Choose Listen & repeat, keep a three-note challenge, press Listen first and copy the phrase.
- Lower the playback tempo if needed, retry the same phrase and download its MIDI when you want to revisit it.
A common wrong turn
Confusing the third with a neighbouring key, such as playing D or F instead of E, which changes the chord's character.
Try this instead: Compare your note choices with the reference diagram. In guided practice, if you press F4 when E4 is expected, the exercise stays on that step. Find E4 with the D shortcut, then continue to G4.
Which three notes make up the C major chord, and how many semitones is the third above C?Check your answer +
The notes are C, E and G. The third, E, is four semitones above C.
AI-assisted lesson · notes and formula checked against this reference. How our material is made · Report a correction
Four chords. Less jumping.
Try I → IV → V → I in C major. Play the bass with your left hand and the three upper notes with your right. The upper voicings are chosen to keep movement small.
C major
LH C
RH C · E · G
F major
LH F
RH C · F · A
G major
LH G
RH B · D · G
C major
LH C
RH C · E · G
Spread limits describe distances between notes, not a recommended fingering or a guarantee of comfort. Use one note at a time if needed.
What notes make up C major?
C major contains C, E, G. Its interval formula is 1 3 5. The numbers describe degrees relative to C; a flat lowers a degree by one semitone and a sharp raises it by one semitone.
| Degree | Note | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | 0 |
| 3 | E | 4 |
| 5 | G | 7 |
Spelling follows the interval formula. Double accidentals can be correct; a different-looking key name may sound at the same pitch.
A useful way to practice it
Build a tonic chord, then move to the fourth and fifth degrees of a major key.
- Find C first. Say the remaining notes aloud: E, G.
- Play each note separately, then sound the full chord. Check the 3 highlighted keys against the diagram.
- Compare the voicings below. Listen for the bass changing while the pitch classes remain the same.
- Download the MIDI to loop the example, or print the PDF and mark your own comfortable fingering.
Extended chords can span a wide range. Share the notes between both hands, roll the chord, or study one voice at a time; the diagrams do not prescribe a hand stretch.
C major or C minor?
Keep the root C fixed. Only the third changes between these triads. Compare E ↔ E♭, then listen to each version.
Positions & voicings
Each diagram keeps the same chord tones while changing which note is lowest or moving the shape into another register. For extended chords, these are complete reference voicings rather than a compact accompaniment prescription.
Root position · middle register
Root position · upper register
Inversion 1 · middle register
Inversion 1 · upper register
Inversion 2 · middle register
Inversion 2 · upper register
Using the files
The PDF includes every displayed position. SVG diagrams stay sharp when resized, and MIDI files contain the reference notes rather than a recording. Playback uses a simple synthesized tone; your MIDI app can use a different piano sound.
These diagrams are generated from the interval formula shown above. Read how our references are made →
Published · Original Artistry Piano reference · Report a correction