Chord Detector: Find the Chord You Play, Live

How it works

Two ways to detect chords

01
From your instrument

Open the live chord detector, allow the microphone and play. The chord name, its notes and a guitar chord diagram appear while you play.
02
From a recorded song

Paste a YouTube link. Chord Suno analyses the whole song and gives you every chord with its timing.
03
Check your work

Play along with a song and watch the live detector to see whether the chords you play match.

What you get

What the chord detector does

Names the chord you play

It names 11 kinds of chord by ear (major, minor, sevenths, suspended and more), not just the plain major and minor.

Shows the notes it hears

See which notes are sounding as you play, so you can tell a missed string from a wrong chord.

Keeps a history

The chords you played are kept in order, and you can copy them out as a progression.

Detects whole songs

For a recorded song, the chords of the whole track are found and placed on the beat.

Private by design

The live detector analyses sound on your device. It is never recorded, uploaded or stored.

Works with any instrument

Guitar, ukulele, piano or voice: it listens to the notes, not to the instrument.

How the live chord detector works

The detector listens through your microphone and looks at which notes are sounding at each moment, including their overtones. It compares those notes with the shapes of chords and names the one that fits best. To stop the name flickering while a chord rings, it waits until a chord has been heard steadily before it shows it.

Everything happens in your browser. The sound is analysed as it comes in and is not saved or sent anywhere.

Tips for a clean reading

Play in a fairly quiet room and hold the instrument near the microphone.
Tune first. A guitar that is out of tune reads as the wrong chord. The Toolkit has a free tuner.
Let the chord ring for a moment. A single note, or a chord that stops at once, gives the detector little to go on.
If your computer has several microphones, choose the right one from the list in the detector.

Detecting the chords of a song

For a recorded song you do not need a microphone. Paste a YouTube link and Chord Suno works out the chords of the whole recording, with the key, the tempo and the sections. You can then play along with the chart and use the live detector to check your own chords.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is a chord detector?

A chord detector listens to music and tells you which chords are being played. Chord Suno has two: one for recorded songs, and a live one that listens to your microphone.

Is the live chord detector free?

It is free to try. Whether it is part of your plan is shown on the Toolkit page, and the plans page lists what each plan includes.

Does it record my playing?

No. The sound is analysed in your browser as you play. It is never recorded, uploaded or stored.

Which chords can it name?

It names 11 kinds of chord, including major, minor, sevenths and suspended chords, in every key.

Why does it show the wrong chord sometimes?

Out-of-tune strings, background noise, a single note or a chord that is cut short all make a chord harder to name. Tune up, play in a quiet place and let the chord ring.

Can it find the chords of a song from a file or a link?

Yes. Paste a YouTube link and the chords of the whole song are worked out and placed on the beat.

Keep exploring

YouTube to chords Turn any YouTube song into chords Guitar chord finder Find the guitar chords of any song Ukulele chords Ukulele chords for any song Mandolin chords Mandolin chords for any song Free guitar tunerTune guitar, ukulele, mandolin and more by ear. Free metronomeTap tempo, time signatures and a speed trainer. SongsChord charts for popular songs.

A chord detector for songs and for your instrument