Ukulele Chord Namer
Name any chord
What is a ukulele chord namer?
You know how a normal chord chart works: you look up C, and it shows you where to put your fingers. A chord namer does the exact opposite. You show it the notes you are holding, and it tells you what the chord is called. Really handy when you have found a shape you like the sound of but have no idea what it is.
It runs on a proper music-theory engine, so it is not just looking up a list of common shapes. Give it any four notes and it works out the chord, and if a shape can be read more than one way it shows you all the names that fit.
How to use it
Tap the note you are fretting on each string, right on the fretboard above. The moment you have picked your notes, the name appears. If you are not playing all four strings, tap a note again to mute that string.
From there you have got a few extras. If the same chord can be played somewhere else on the neck, use the arrows to flip through the other shapes. Hit play to hear it strummed back so you can check it by ear. And if you are left-handed, the Lefty button flips the whole board round for you.
When you would actually use it
A few times it comes in really handy. You have been messing about and landed on a shape that sounds lovely, but you want to know its name so you can find it again. You are following a tutorial, they flash a chord, and you want to check what it is. Or you are writing something and want to make sure the chord you have cobbled together is actually a real one. That is what this is for.
What the names mean
The big name is the chord itself: the root note plus its type, like C Major or A minor 7. Under that, the Notes line shows exactly which notes you are holding down.
Sometimes you will see an Also line with a second name, and that is not a glitch. Some shapes genuinely belong to more than one chord. A C6 and an A minor 7 are the exact same four notes, for instance, so the tool gives you the most likely name first and the alternatives after. If your notes do not make a standard chord at all, it will say so and point you to the nearest one that does.
Common questions
How do I find out what ukulele chord I am playing?
Tap the note you are fretting on each string on the fretboard above. As soon as you have picked your notes, the chord namer works out the name for you. If the shape can be read more than one way, it lists the alternatives too.
What is a ukulele chord namer?
It is a reverse chord finder. A normal chord chart tells you how to play a named chord. A chord namer works the other way round: you show it the notes and it tells you the chord's name.
Can it name any chord?
It recognises everything from basic majors and minors to 7ths, sus chords, add9s, sixths, diminished and augmented shapes. If your notes do not add up to a standard chord, it tells you and suggests the nearest one that does.
Why does one shape show two names?
Because some sets of notes genuinely belong to more than one chord. A C6 and an A minor 7 are the same four notes, for example. When that happens the tool shows the most likely name first and lists the others under Also.
Can I hear the chord?
Yes. Hit the play button and it strums the notes back to you, so you can check the chord sounds the way you expected.
Which tuning does it use?
The tool is set up for standard G C E A ukulele tuning, which covers soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles played the usual way.