SoundQuest-based coloring

hsjoihs
2026-06-22

The following list curates the colors that SoundQuest assigns to chords.

My code determines the coloring by inspecting the chord and finding out which category/categories it matches. Note that it suffers from overgeneralizing octave equivalences.

Dm

♭VII: ♭VII/I ♭VII ♭VIIΔ7
Vm: Vm/I Vm Vm11 Vm7(11,-13) Vm7 Vm9

D

♭II: ♭II7 ♭IIΔ7(+11,13) ♭IIΔ7(+9) ♭IIΔ7
♯[D]dim7: ♯Vdim7/VII ♯Vdim7
/♭VII: ♭VI/♭VII
♭VII: ♭VII ♭VII7 ♭VIIdim7
III: III III5 III6/♯V III7(-13) III7(-9)/♯V III7(-9) III7(+9,-13) III7(+9) III7/♯V III7 III7sus4 IIIaug/♭VII IIIaug IIIaug7 IIIm/V IIIm/VII IIIm IIIm7 IIIm9 IIImΔ7 IIIø(9,omit3) IIIø
/V: IIm7/V IV/V IVmΔ7/V
V: V(11) V/I V/IV V/VII V V5 V6 V7(-9) V7 V7sus4(9) V7sus4 V9sus4(-13) V9sus4 Vaug Vdim7 Vm7 Vø(9,omit3) Vsus4 VΔ7(11,-13) VΔ7

Pm

♭III: ♭III ♭IIIdim7 ♭IIIΔ7(+11) ♭IIIΔ7
♭VII: ♭VIIm7 ♭VIIΔ7
Im: Im/♭III Im Im11/V Im7 ImΔ7(9) ImΔ7

P

♯I: ♯Im7
♯IV: ♯IV@ ♯IV7 ♯IVm ♯IVm7(11) ♯IVm7 ♯IVm9 ♯IVø7
/♯IV: Iaug/♯IV

Sm

♭II: ♭IIΔ7
♭VI: ♭VI/I ♭VI ♭VIm ♭VIΔ7(-5,13) ♭VIΔ7
IVm: IVm/I IVm IVm6 IVm7 IVm9 IVmΔ7(+11,13) IVmΔ7

S

♭II: ♭IIaug ♭II@
♭VI: ♭VIΔ7(+11,13)
♯[S][dim7, ø]: ♯IIdim7 ♯IVdim7 ♯IVø
≒VIIdim7: ♯Vdim7
II: II/I II II69(omit5) II7/♯IV II7/I II7 II9/♯IV II9 IIm/IV IIm IIm6 IIm7(9) IIm7/IV IIm7 IIm9 IImΔ7(+11) IIø IIΔ7 IIΔ9
/II: VIm/II
IV: IV/I IV+Δ7/VII IV IV5 IV6 IV7(9,♯11)(omit3,omit5) IV7 IV9(-5,omit3) IVΔ7(+11) IVΔ7/VI IVΔ7 IVΔ9
VII: VII5 VII7 VIIdim VIIdim7 VIIm7(11) VIIm7 VIIm7omit5 VIIø(9,omit3) VIIø

T

♭III: ♭III9(+11,omit3,omit5)
♯IV: ♯IVm
♯[T][dim7, ø]: ♯Idim7 ♯Iø IIIø
/I: ♭VII/I
I: I(♭5) I@ I/III I/V I I5 I6 I7/♭VII I7 I9 Iaug IaugΔ7 Idim7 Isus2 Isus4 IΔ7 IΔ7sus4 IΔ9
/VI: V/VI
VI: VI VI5 VI7(-9) VI7/♯I VI7 VI9(♯11,omit3,omit5) VIaug VIaug7 VIdim7 VIm(9,13) VIm/♯IV VIm/♯V VIm/I VIm/V VIm VIm6 VIm7(11)omit5 VIm7 VIm9 VImΔ7(9,11) VImΔ7 VIø VIsus4 VIΔ7

Chords with multiple colors

Multiple colors are assigned to the following eighteen chords. "≈" signifies some sort of inversions or changes in the voicing.

relative pitch classescolorschords
0,2,5,10tonic + dominant-minor♭VII/I = ♭VII/I
2,5,10dominant + dominant-minor ♭VII = ♭VII
2,5,9,10pseudotonic-minor + dominant-minor ♭VIIΔ7 = ♭VIIΔ7
0,2,3,5,7,10pseudotonic-minor + dominant-minor Im11/V ≈ Vm7(11,-13)
2,5,7,10dominant + dominant-minor Vm7 = Vm7
0,1,5,8subdominant-minor + dominant ♭IIΔ7 = ♭IIΔ7
2,5,8,11subdominant + dominant VIIdim7 ≈ ♯Vdim7
1,4,7,10tonic + dominant ♯Idim7 ≈ Vdim7 ≈ ♭VIIdim7
1,4,8,11pseudotonic + dominant ♯Im7 ≈ III6/♯V
0,4,8tonic + dominant Iaug ≈ IIIaug
2,4,7,10tonic + dominant IIIø ≈ IIIø
1,5,7,9tonic + dominant VIaug7 ≈ Vø(9,omit3)
0,2,7tonic + dominant Isus2 ≈ Vsus4
0,3,6,9tonic + pseudotonic-minor + subdominant Idim7 ≈ VIdim7 ≈ ♭IIIdim7 = ♯IIdim7 ≈ ♯IVdim7
1,6,9tonic + pseudotonic ♯IVm = ♯IVm
0,4,6,9tonic + pseudotonic + subdominant VIm6 ≈ ♯IVø7 = ♯IVø
0,2,5,8subdominant + subdominant-minor IVm6 ≈ IIø
1,5,9tonic + subdominant VIaug ≈ ♭IIaug
I have intentionally excluded two chords attested in SoundQuest: