Does it tell me the chord name?

No, it shows the notes. That’s on purpose: a chord name hides the extensions and the voicing, and the notes don’t.

Why do I see notes I’m not playing?

Those are overtones. Every note also sounds at its fifth and its third, more faintly. They show up as weaker rows above the note you played.

Can it read a song from speakers?

Yes. Play it near the mic. Loud parts like bass and vocals show more strongly than quiet ones.

How is it different from Pitch Diagram?

Pitch Diagram follows one note at a time, like a voice or a melody. The Pitch Spectrogram shows everything sounding together.

Pitch Spectrogram

Every note at once.

Play a chord, a record or a choir and see each note that’s sounding, colored by note name.

PITCH SPECTROGRAMmic off

Expand toolOpen workspace

Ready for your first note.

Press Start, allow your microphone, then play a chord or a song.

Start

Your audio stays on this device. The browser asks for the mic only when you press Start.

Your audio stays on this device.

SETTINGS

In the iOS & Android app

Notes shown: Only the ones played
View: Full range or one octave
Look: Grid lines or piano roll
Reference: A4 = 440 Hz
Transposition: C

IN THE iOS & ANDROID APP

What the app adds

Only the notes you play: A different detection algorithm sets the overtones aside. Play a C and you see a C, not also the C, G and E above it.; On the web: notes and their overtones
Drawn as notes: The screen reads like music rather than raw frequencies.; On the web: raw frequencies
Full range or one octave: Every octave, or all folded into one.; On the web: one octave
Your choice of look: Grid lines, or a piano-roll background.; On the web: grid lines
Reference and transposition: Set your own A4 and transpose the note names.; On the web: A4 = 440 Hz, concert pitch
Videos up to 5 minutes: Record a take and render it to video.; On the web: no recording
A library of takes: Save takes and share them with friends who have the app.; On the web: not available

The apps are free to download, with an optional yearly subscription.

MIC HELP

If the mic is blocked, click the lock or microphone icon in your browser's address bar, allow the microphone for this site, then reload the page and press Start.

Nothing happens when you play? Check that the right input is selected in your system's sound settings.

Read the colors

What it shows you

Harmony is easier to understand when you watch it happen than when you read a name for it afterwards.

The notes, not a chord name.
A label rounds away the added ninth and the suspended fourth. Every pitch it finds is drawn, so you see what actually made the sound.
Overtones are shown, not filtered out.
The fainter rows are an instrument’s own harmonics. They’re why the same chord sounds warm on one instrument and thin on another.
No song database.
Point it at a record, a piano or a room full of singers. It reads what’s sounding now, rather than matching a track it already knows.

Step by step

How to read a chord

1. Play one chord and hold it.
The brightest rows are the notes you’re playing.
2. Spot the overtones.
Fainter rows a fifth or a third above a strong note usually belong to that note, not to a separate one.
3. Change one note.
Move a single finger and watch which row moves. That’s the voice that changed.

In the iOS & Android app

Focused on the music

The web tool shows the whole sound: the notes and their overtones. The app shows the music: just the notes being played.

9:41

Only the notes you play: A different detection algorithm sets the overtones aside. Play a C and you see a C, not also the C, G and E above it.; On the web: notes and their overtones
Drawn as notes: The screen reads like music rather than raw frequencies.; On the web: raw frequencies
Full range or one octave: Every octave, or all folded into one.; On the web: one octave
Your choice of look: Grid lines, or a piano-roll background.; On the web: grid lines
Reference and transposition: Set your own A4 and transpose the note names.; On the web: A4 = 440 Hz, concert pitch
Videos up to 5 minutes: Record a take and render it to video.; On the web: no recording
A library of takes: Save takes and share them with friends who have the app.; On the web: not available

The apps are free to download, with an optional yearly subscription.

Good to know

Questions

Does it tell me the chord name?: No, it shows the notes. That’s on purpose: a chord name hides the extensions and the voicing, and the notes don’t.
Why do I see notes I’m not playing?: Those are overtones. Every note also sounds at its fifth and its third, more faintly. They show up as weaker rows above the note you played.
Can it read a song from speakers?: Yes. Play it near the mic. Loud parts like bass and vocals show more strongly than quiet ones.
How is it different from Pitch Diagram?: Pitch Diagram follows one note at a time, like a voice or a melody. The Pitch Spectrogram shows everything sounding together.

One musical toolkit