Practice Chord Recognition with the Chord Practice Tool

Knowing which chords belong to a key is one thing. Recalling them instantly under time pressure is something else entirely. Whether you are sight-reading a lead sheet, improvising over a backing track, or composing on the fly, the speed at which you recognise and name chords makes a real difference. That is exactly what the new Chord Practice tool is designed to help with.

What the Chord Practice Tool Does

The practice tool presents diatonic chords one at a time, on a timer, and asks you to identify or play each chord before the next one appears. Think of it as flashcards for chord recognition, but with audio, a metronome, and optional MIDI keyboard input.

There are two practice modes:

Scale mode picks a root key and scale (such as C Major or D Dorian), then drills you on every diatonic chord in that key. This is ideal for learning which chords belong to a particular scale and how they relate to each other.
Random Chords mode generates chords of the selected types from all 12 keys. You choose how many chords per session (anywhere from 5 to 100). This is great for general chord recognition across all keys.

Setting Up a Session

Open the practice page and you will see four configuration sections, each collapsible so you can focus on what matters:

Practice Mode

Choose between Scale and Random Chords. In Scale mode, the familiar key and scale selectors appear so you can pick any combination — from A Harmonic Minor to G Mixolydian. In Random Chords mode, a chord count input lets you set how many chords to drill.

Chord Types

Select which chord extensions to include using the same card-style toggles from the homepage. Each card shows the chord type (Triad, Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, Thirteenth), the note count, and the formula. Beginners might start with triads only; more advanced players can add sevenths or extended chords for a tougher workout.

Tempo & Timing

Set the BPM (30–240), time signature, and how many beats each chord gets before the next one appears. A metronome toggle keeps you in time. Start slow — 60 BPM with 4 beats per chord gives you four seconds per chord, which is a comfortable starting pace.

Display

Toggle the piano keyboard, note name labels, and audio playback on or off. Turning off the piano and note names makes practice harder because you lose the visual hint and have to rely on your knowledge alone.

How a Session Works

Press Start Practice and a 3-2-1 countdown begins. Then chords appear one at a time in large type, with the Roman numeral label (like ii or V) and a preview of the next chord below.

Beat indicator dots at the top show where you are in the current bar. When the beats run out, the chord advances automatically. If you correctly identify the chord before time runs out (via the “Got it” button or a connected MIDI keyboard), it counts as correct. Otherwise it is marked as missed.

At the end of the session you see a score summary: correct, wrong, and skipped counts with a percentage. A Practice Missed button lets you retry only the chords you got wrong or skipped — a simple form of spaced repetition that focuses your effort where it is needed most.

Using a MIDI Keyboard

If you have a MIDI keyboard connected to your computer via USB, the practice tool detects it automatically through the Web MIDI API (supported in Chrome, Edge, and other Chromium-based browsers). A status indicator on the config page shows the connection state and device name.

During a session, play the chord on your MIDI keyboard and the tool matches your notes against the expected chord in real time. It uses pitch-class matching, which means it accepts any octave or inversion — you just need to play the right set of notes. Correct matches register instantly. If you play the wrong notes, a brief red flash lets you know so you can try again before time runs out.

Your MIDI keyboard also produces piano sound as you play, so you hear what you are playing even without an external sound source.

No MIDI keyboard? No problem. The manual “Got it” and “Skip” buttons work just as well for self-assessment.

Your Settings Are Remembered

All practice settings — mode, chord types, tempo, display options, and chord count — are saved to your browser so they persist between sessions. The root key and scale are also shared with the homepage chord finder: change the key on the practice page, navigate to the homepage, and you will find the same key already selected. This makes it easy to study a scale’s chords on the homepage and then immediately drill them on the practice page.

Tips for Effective Practice

Start with triads in one key. Pick C Major, set triads only, and work through the seven diatonic chords until you can name them without hesitation. Then move to other keys.
Add sevenths when triads feel easy. Seventh chords introduce more variety and are essential for jazz, pop, and R&B harmony.
Slow down the tempo. Speed is not the goal at first — accuracy is. Once you are consistently getting 90%+ correct, bump the BPM up by 10.
Use the “Practice Missed” feature. Repeating just the chords you missed is far more efficient than replaying the entire set.
Try random mode for a challenge. Once you are comfortable with individual keys, Random Chords mode tests whether you can recognise chord types across all 12 keys.
Connect a MIDI keyboard. Playing the actual notes engages muscle memory alongside cognitive recognition, which strengthens both skills simultaneously.

Where to Go from Here

For a full walkthrough of the homepage tool that generates the chords you are practising, read Explore Scales and Chords with the Interactive Chord Finder. If you are new to diatonic chords, the Diatonic Chords Beginner’s Guide explains how chords are built from scales. For a deeper look at extended chords (9ths through 13ths), read Extended Chords and Jazz Harmony. And if you want to understand why certain chords pull toward each other during practice, Chord Progressions Every Musician Should Know covers the most common patterns.

Ready to start? Open the Chord Practice tool and begin your first session.