Key
Labels
Chord
C Major — I (C)
Root position (root on string 3)1st inversion (root on string 1)2nd inversion (root on string 2)Scale tone (faded)
Triads and inversions
A triad is a three-note chord: root, third, and fifth. On the top three strings every triad comes in three close shapes — root position (root on string 3, blue), 1st inversion (root on string 1, orange), and 2nd inversion (root on string 2, green) — repeating up the neck.
Pick a key and one of its seven diatonic chords (I–vii°): major on I, IV, V, minor on ii, iii, vi, diminished on vii°. Seven chords × three shapes = 21 movable forms that cover the whole key. The faded dots show the key's scale, so you can see where each chord lives inside it.
How to use it
- Pick a key— the seven chord buttons relabel to that key's chords.
- Click a chord (or use your ← → keys) — all three inversions light up across the neck.
- Choose a label — Solfège, scale degrees, or real note names.
- Follow the colors— each shape's root keeps the color of the string it sits on, same as the scale tool.
Ready to write something with these shapes? Open the free tab & notation editor — or explore the scales behind the chords on the scale fretboard.