Heard something you can't name? Pick the notes — from the chromatic picker or directly on the fretboard — and the tool returns every chord and scale that matches. Built for transcription, theory practice and lesson prep.
Tap notes to add / remove
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Chord matches
Select notes to see chord matches…
Scale matches
Select notes to see scale matches…
What is a reverse chord / scale lookup?
A reverse chord and scale identifier goes from notes to names — opposite to a chord encyclopedia or scale generator, which go from name to notes. Drop in the notes you've worked out by ear, and the tool tells you what you're hearing.
How to use
Tap notes in the chromatic picker, or click positions directly on the fretboard. Each note only counts once — the same note in different octaves is treated as one pitch class.
Hit Audition to play the selected notes as a strummed Karplus-Strong pluck. Useful for confirming you typed in what you actually heard.
Chord matches appear first, then scales. Exact matches are pinned to the top; partial matches (where your selection is a subset of a chord/scale) appear below with the "missing" notes shown.
Every match links to the dedicated chord or scale page — voicings, fretboard diagrams, related shapes, all the SEO context. Build a chord progression chart out of multiple lookups in minutes.
FAQ
Reverse lookup is an analysis tool. These pieces and tools show how that analysis turns into a teaching moment.
Where ear-training and analysis fit in the theory/listening block — and how to use a single discovered chord as a springboard for the rest of the lesson.
The forward direction — 19 chord types in 12 keys with movable voicings, fretboard maps and audio.
Sketch the progression the discovered chord belongs to, hear it back, and copy it as Roman numerals.