Chords and Harmony

Do these tones actually match this chord?

Declare a target chord, then enter the tones you have. This tool audits your tones against the declared symbol's expected spelling, and never calls a pitch-class match with a spelling conflict fully correct.

Answer

Select tones to check

Enter the tones you actually have:

Next decision: Chord Symbol Parser

Want to learn more? Chord Naming, Enharmonic Spelling, and Ambiguity

Understand

A pitch-class match is not the same as a spelling match: entering E-flat where a chord's third calls for E natural sounds identical to a listener in equal temperament, but reads as a different note on paper and implies different voice-leading and key context. This tool audits both, under the spelling policy the declared symbol implies, and flags a spelling conflict even when the pitch classes agree.

Worked examples

Declaring C major and entering C, E, and G passes cleanly. Declaring C major but entering C, E-flat, and G flags the third: E-flat is the same pitch class as a correctly spelled note is not, so the audit reports a missing E and an unexpected E-flat rather than silently accepting the substitution. Declaring B-flat dominant 7th and entering B-flat, D, F, and A-flat passes, since those are exactly that chord's four expected tones.

Method and limitations

The declared symbol is expanded into its expected spelled tones using the same formula vocabulary as Chord Builder. Your entered tones are compared against that expected set by both letter-plus-accidental spelling and by pitch class, so the evidence can distinguish a genuinely missing tone from a present-but-misspelled one. This tool does not evaluate whether your declared symbol itself is the "right" chord for a musical context, only whether your entered tones match it.

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