An apparatus for determining a type of chord has a means for providing a reference vector for the type of chord, a means for providing a reference vector from a test signal, and a means for comparing the reference vector with the test signal vector. The means for providing a reference vector is configured to provide, for the type of chord, a reference vector from a plurality of different reference vectors. In addition, the means for providing a test signal vector from the test signal is configured to provide the test signal vector having a plurality of test signal vector elements. In addition, the means for comparing the reference vector with the test signal vector is configured to compare the reference vector and the test vector or versions of the test signal vector which are cyclically shifted by different shift values, in order to obtain various comparison results which are allocated to the test signal vector or shift values, so as to determine the type of chord on the basis of an extreme comparison result and the shift value associated with same.