Chords in every key
Every major key has seven chords that use only the notes of its scale. Build a chord on each note of the scale by stacking every other note (1–3–5), and the same pattern of major and minor chords appears in every key.
The pattern: I ii iii IV V vi vii°
- Major: I, IV and V. In C major: C, F and G. These three can harmonise thousands of songs.
- Minor: ii, iii and vi. In C major: Dm, Em and Am. The vi chord is the key’s relative minor.
- Diminished: vii°, built on the 7th note. In C major: B°.
Roman numerals name chords by their place in the key, so a progression like I–V–vi–IV works in every key: C–G–Am–F in C major, or G–D–Em–C in G major.
Chord chart for all 15 major keys
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | B° |
| G major | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F♯° |
| D major | D | Em | F♯m | G | A | Bm | C♯° |
| A major | A | Bm | C♯m | D | E | F♯m | G♯° |
| E major | E | F♯m | G♯m | A | B | C♯m | D♯° |
| B major | B | C♯m | D♯m | E | F♯ | G♯m | A♯° |
| F♯ major | F♯ | G♯m | A♯m | B | C♯ | D♯m | E♯° |
| C♯ major | C♯ | D♯m | E♯m | F♯ | G♯ | A♯m | B♯° |
| F major | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C | Dm | E° |
| B♭ major | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F | Gm | A° |
| E♭ major | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ | Cm | D° |
| A♭ major | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭ | Fm | G° |
| D♭ major | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ | B♭m | C° |
| G♭ major | G♭ | A♭m | B♭m | C♭ | D♭ | E♭m | F° |
| C♭ major | C♭ | D♭m | E♭m | F♭ | G♭ | A♭m | B♭° |
Reading about it is a start. Ten minutes of practice a day makes it automatic.
Practice chords →