Chords in the key of E major

The guitar chords in the key of E major are E, F#m, G#m, A, B, C#m and D#dim, with the Roman numerals I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii°. Two of them, E and A, are open chords. C# minor, its relative minor, has the same notes and chords. See the chords of all 24 keys.

  1. I
    1fr231
    E
    0 2 2 1 0 0
  2. ii
    1fr34
    F#m
    2 4 4 2 2 2
  3. iii
    4fr34
    G#m
    4 6 6 4 4 4
  4. IV
    1fr123
    A
    X 0 2 2 2 0
  5. V
    1fr234
    B
    X 2 4 4 4 2
  6. vi
    4fr342
    C#m
    X 4 6 6 5 4
  7. vii°
    1fr14
    D#dim
    X X 1 2 4 2

The seven chords in E major

F#m, B and D#dim are barre chords at fret 2; G#m and C#m are barre chords at fret 4. Each diagram is the shape most guitarists hold in standard tuning, and on a piano the same notes make the same chords.

NumeralChordNotes
IEE G# B
iiF#mF# A C#
iiiG#mG# B D#
IVAA C# E
VBB D# F#
viC#mC# E G#
vii°D#dimD# F# A

Seventh chords in E major

Stack one more note on each chord, every other note of the scale again, and you have the seventh chords of E major: Emaj7 on the first note, B7 on the fifth.

NumeralSeventh chordNotes
Imaj7Emaj7E G# B D#
ii7F#m7F# A C# E
iii7G#m7G# B D# F#
IVmaj7Amaj7A C# E G#
V7B7B D# F# A
vi7C#m7C# E G# B
viiø7D#m7b5D# F# A C#

How the chords in E major are found

Write out the E major scale: E F# G# A B C# D#. From each note, take every other note up the scale, three in all: E, G# and B make E, the chord on the first note, and D#, F# and A make D#dim, 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.

Each letter from A to G stands once in the scale, so the note between F and G is written F# here, not Gb.

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

The relative minor of E major

The relative minor of E major is C# minor, on its sixth note. It has the same seven notes and chords, counted from C#m: C#m, D#dim, E, F#m, G#m, A and B, so the vi of E major is the i of C# minor.

Chord progressions in E major

Seventeen well-known progressions in E 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 E7 and A7. Each name leads to its chart and diagrams in E major under chord progressions.

ProgressionNumeralsIn E majorIn the key?
Pop AxisI – V – vi – IVE B C#m AStays in the key
Pop Axis from vivi – IV – I – VC#m A E BStays in the key
50s ProgressionI – vi – IV – VE C#m A BStays in the key
Major to Minor FourI – III – IV – ivE G# A AmBorrows G# and Am
Royal RoadIVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – viAmaj7 B7 G#m7 C#mStays in the key
Three-Chord SongI – IV – VE A BStays in the key
I–IV–V–IVI – IV – V – IVE A BStays in the key
12-Bar BluesI7 – IV7 – V7E7 A7 B7Borrows E7 and A7
Quick-Change BluesI7 – IV7 – V7E7 A7 B7Borrows E7 and A7
8-Bar BluesI7 – V7 – IV7E7 B7 A7Borrows E7 and A7
ii–V–Iii7 – V7 – Imaj7F#m7 B7 Emaj7Stays in the key
I–vi–ii–VImaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7Emaj7 C#m7 F#m7 B7Stays in the key
Circle Turnaroundiii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7G#m7 C#m7 F#m7 B7 Emaj7Stays in the key
Circle of Fifthsvi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7C#m7 F#m7 B7 Emaj7Stays in the key
Pachelbel's CanonI – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – VE B C#m G#m AStays in the key
Lydian VampI – IIE F#Borrows F#
Mixolydian VampI – bVII – IVE D ABorrows D

The E major scale on the guitar

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

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

Keys next door to E major

A major and B major, on the fourth and fifth notes of E major, each differ from it by one note: A major has D where E major has D#, and B major has A# where it has A. C# 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 E major

Loop E – B – C#m – A, or any chords of E 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 E major

E, A and B: the I, IV and V, on the first, fourth and fifth notes, and the key's three major chords. Played E – A – B – E they make the I – IV – V; as E7, A7 and B7, the 12-bar blues.

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

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