Chords in the key of C major

The guitar chords in the key of C major are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and Bdim, with the Roman numerals I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii°. Five of them, C, Dm, Em, G and Am, are open chords. A minor, its relative minor, has the same notes and chords. See the chords of all 24 keys.

  1. I
    1fr321
    C
    X 3 2 0 1 0
  2. ii
    1fr231
    Dm
    X X 0 2 3 1
  3. iii
    1fr12
    Em
    0 2 2 0 0 0
  4. IV
    1fr342
    F
    1 3 3 2 1 1
  5. V
    1fr213
    G
    3 2 0 0 0 3
  6. vi
    1fr231
    Am
    X 0 2 2 1 0
  7. vii°
    1fr1243
    Bdim
    X 2 3 4 3 X

The seven chords in C major

F is a barre chord at fret 1; Bdim is a closed shape at fret 2. Each diagram is the shape most guitarists hold in standard tuning, and on a piano the same notes make the same chords.

NumeralChordNotes
ICC E G
iiDmD F A
iiiEmE G B
IVFF A C
VGG B D
viAmA C E
vii°BdimB D F

Seventh chords in C major

Stack one more note on each chord, every other note of the scale again, and you have the seventh chords of C major: Cmaj7 on the first note, G7 on the fifth.

NumeralSeventh chordNotes
Imaj7Cmaj7C E G B
ii7Dm7D F A C
iii7Em7E G B D
IVmaj7Fmaj7F A C E
V7G7G B D F
vi7Am7A C E G
viiø7Bm7b5B D F A

How the chords in C major are found

Write out the C major scale: C D E F G A B. From each note, take every other note up the scale, three in all: C, E and G make C, the chord on the first note, and B, D and F make Bdim, the diminished chord on the seventh. Do it on every note in turn and the seven chords follow the pattern of every major key: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor and diminished.

The same steps give the chords of every key: chords in a key.

The relative minor of C major

The relative minor of C major is A minor, on its sixth note. It has the same seven notes and chords, counted from Am: Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G, so the vi of C major is the i of A minor.

Chord progressions in C major

Seventeen well-known progressions in C major: eleven of them use only the key's own chords, and the other six borrow from outside it, as the 12-Bar Blues does with C7 and F7. Each name leads to its chart and diagrams in C major under chord progressions.

ProgressionNumeralsIn C majorIn the key?
Pop AxisI – V – vi – IVC G Am FStays in the key
Pop Axis from vivi – IV – I – VAm F C GStays in the key
50s ProgressionI – vi – IV – VC Am F GStays in the key
Major to Minor FourI – III – IV – ivC E F FmBorrows E and Fm
Royal RoadIVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – viFmaj7 G7 Em7 AmStays in the key
Three-Chord SongI – IV – VC F GStays in the key
I–IV–V–IVI – IV – V – IVC F GStays in the key
12-Bar BluesI7 – IV7 – V7C7 F7 G7Borrows C7 and F7
Quick-Change BluesI7 – IV7 – V7C7 F7 G7Borrows C7 and F7
8-Bar BluesI7 – V7 – IV7C7 G7 F7Borrows C7 and F7
ii–V–Iii7 – V7 – Imaj7Dm7 G7 Cmaj7Stays in the key
I–vi–ii–VImaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7Cmaj7 Am7 Dm7 G7Stays in the key
Circle Turnaroundiii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7Em7 Am7 Dm7 G7 Cmaj7Stays in the key
Circle of Fifthsvi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7Am7 Dm7 G7 Cmaj7Stays in the key
Pachelbel's CanonI – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – VC G Am Em FStays in the key
Lydian VampI – IIC DBorrows D
Mixolydian VampI – bVII – IVC Bb FBorrows Bb

The C major scale on the guitar

Degrees: R 2 3 4 5 6 7. Notes: C D E F G A B.

You play the C major scale in seven positions across the neck, each within five frets in standard tuning. All of them are under the C major scale, and every other scale under guitar scales.

Keys next door to C major

F major and G major, on the fourth and fifth notes of C major, each differ from it by one note: F major has Bb where C major has B, and G major has F# where it has F. A minor, its relative, shares all seven.

A scale's chords in TabTunix as diagrams, and four of them on the timeline, each with its numeral: E7sus4, Gmaj9, Bm11 and Em7

In the app

Play in C major

Loop C – G – Am – F, or any chords of C major, in TabTunix and play over them at your tempo. Keep the loop as an exercise with a target tempo, and come back to it until the changes are clean.

More progressions in every key under chord progressions, every shape of each chord under guitar chords, and how to change chords faster.

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Questions about the chords in C major

C, F and G: the I, IV and V, on the first, fourth and fifth notes, and the key's three major chords. Played C – F – G – C they make the I – IV – V; as C7, F7 and G7, the 12-bar blues.

Play in C major until its chords are yours. Free, for Mac and Windows.

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