Chord AI: find the chords of any song from its audio
Upload an audio file and Chord AI, our chord detector, works out the chords of the song and when each one is played, plus its key (major or minor) and its tempo in BPM. Free, with no account and nothing to install.
Press “Choose an audio file”, pick the song and the analysis starts on its own. While the song plays, the chords scroll along with the music and you see the diagram of the one that is sounding.
The tool opens right here in your browser when the page finishes loading.
How Chord AI detects the chords
Chord AI analyzes the audio on our server. You can choose between two engines and a filter:
- “Balanced”: the default, and the quicker of the two. It reads the harmony with signal processing and recognizes major, minor, seventh, major seventh, minor seventh, diminished, augmented, sus2 and sus4 chords.
- “Precise”: first separates the instruments with Demucs, an open-source neural network, then recognizes more chord types (sixths, ninths, elevenths, diminished sevenths, half-diminished…) and slash chords such as C/E. It takes several minutes.
- “Vocal filter”: removes the vocals before the analysis, which can help with songs where the voice is very loud. It also lets you download the instrumental as an MP3.
What you get once the chords are found
- Chords on a timeline: a strip that moves with the playback, the waveform with the chords on top, and the full list with a confidence level for each chord.
- Diagrams: the current chord on guitar, ukulele or piano, and “Hear chord” to listen to it with a piano sound.
- Triads or full chords: by default you see triads, which are easier to play; “Full chords” brings back the sevenths, suspensions and the rest.
- MIDI: “Export MIDI” saves the progression as a .mid file you can open in your DAW.
- Sharing: “Share link” copies a link with the chords, without the audio.
Files, limits and timing
It accepts MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A/AAC, AIFF, WMA and other audio formats, as well as MP4 or WebM videos, from which it only uses the sound. MIDI files won't work, because they are not audio. The limit is 30 MB per file and 5 minutes per song.
The analysis takes anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the length, the engine and the queue. “Precise” and the vocal filter are the slowest, because they separate the instruments first. If the server is busy or can't handle the file, the page analyzes the song in your browser with a simpler engine and lets you know.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the chords of a song with Chord AI?
Press “Choose an audio file” and choose the audio. Chord AI analyzes it on our server and shows you the chords on the timeline, with the key and the tempo. There is nothing else to press.
Is Chord AI free?
Yes, with no account and no credits. The only limits are technical: files up to 30 MB and songs up to 5 minutes, and when there is a queue songs are analyzed one at a time.
Which engine should I choose, “Balanced” or “Precise”?
Start with “Balanced”: it is the quicker of the two and recognizes the 9 most common chord types. Switch to “Precise” if the song has sixths, ninths or slash chords; it takes several minutes because it separates the instruments first.
Can I see the chords in another key?
Yes: “Transpose” moves the chords and the key up to 6 semitones up or down. Bear in mind that it also changes the audio, like a tape: higher and faster, or lower and slower. If you only want to move a list of chords to another key, use the Full Partituras chord transposer.
Does it also give me the lyrics, the melody or the sheet music?
No. Chord AI finds the chords, the key and the tempo. If you need the sheet music of the song, look for it on Full Partituras.
Can I follow the chords live with my microphone?
Yes, with “Live map”: while the song plays, the sound from your microphone is sent to our server and you see the chord as it happens. It needs permission to use the microphone, runs a simpler engine and stores nothing.
What do you do with the song I upload?
We analyze it on our server and never share it. It is deleted as soon as the analysis ends; if you turn on “Vocal filter”, the instrumental can be downloaded for one hour and is then deleted. Your browser keeps a copy of the audio and your recent analyses so you don't have to repeat them; “Clear all” removes them.