Chords in every key · No sharps or flats
Chords in the key of C major
The seven chords in C major are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and B°. C major has no sharps or flats.
The seven chords
Play the chords of C major
Tap a chord to hear it. The A chord written by its place in the key: upper case for major (IV), lower case for minor (vi), ° for diminished. is its place in the key; the colour is its job: home, moving away, or pulling back home.
On guitar, C, Dm, Em, G and Am have A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em., which makes C major one of the friendliest keys to strum in.
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Key signature and scale
The C major scale
C major has no sharps or flats.
- C1
- D2
- E3
- F4
- G5
- A6
- B7
- C, the tonic
- Other scale notes
Progressions
Common chord progressions in C major
The same patterns of A chord written by its place in the key: upper case for major (IV), lower case for minor (vi), ° for diminished. turn up in thousands of songs. Here they are in this key, ready to play.
The pop axis
I – V – vi – IV
- C
- G
- Am
- F
Four chords that carry a huge share of modern pop. All four sit next to each other on the circle.
Heard in Let It Be, No Woman No Cry, With or Without You
The pop axis in every keyThree-chord rock
I – IV – V – IV
- C
- F
- G
- F
Tonic, subdominant, dominant: the key and its two neighbours on the outer ring.
Heard in La Bamba, Twist and Shout, Wild Thing
Three-chord rock in every key'50s doo-wop
I – vi – IV – V
- C
- Am
- F
- G
The vi chord softens the move from I to IV before the V pulls back home.
Heard in Stand by Me, Every Breath You Take
'50s doo-wop in every keyJazz ii–V–I
ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- Dm7
- G7
- Cmaj7
Each chord falls a fifth to the next — a walk anticlockwise around the circle.
Heard in Autumn Leaves, Fly Me to the Moon
Jazz ii–V–I in every key12-bar blues
I7 – I7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7
- C7
- C7
- C7
- C7
- F7
- F7
- C7
- C7
- G7
- F7
- C7
- G7
Dominant 7th chords on I, IV and V across twelve bars. The foundation of blues and early rock 'n' roll.
Heard in Johnny B. Goode, Pride and Joy, Hound Dog
12-bar blues in every key
Related keys
Keys close to C major
Keys that share most of their notes sound natural side by side, which is why songs so often move between them.
- Relative minor: same notesA minorAm, B°, C, Dm, Em, F and G
- Parallel minor: same tonicC minorCm, D°, E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭ and B♭
- One step anticlockwiseF majorF, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm and E°
- One step clockwiseG majorG, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F♯°
Capo
Play C major with a capo
C major's main chords are C, F, G and Am. With the A clamp across all six strings at one fret. It raises every open string, so familiar shapes play in a higher key. on The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 5, play them as G, C, D and Em: all four are A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Without a capo, three of the four already are.
- Capo 5G C D EmG major shapes · 4 of 4 openOpen in the capo tool
- No capoC F G AmC major shapes · 3 of 4 openOpen in the capo tool
- Capo 3A D E F♯mA major shapes · 3 of 4 openOpen in the capo tool
Questions
C major, in short
- What chords are in the key of C major?
- The seven chords in C major are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and B°. C major has no sharps or flats.
- What is the relative minor of C major?
- A minor. It uses the same seven notes and the same The sharps or flats written at the start of each line of music, telling you which notes the key changes. as C major, so the two keys share all their chords.
- How many sharps or flats are in C major?
- C major has no sharps or flats.
- Which keys are next to C major on the circle of fifths?
- F major (one step anticlockwise) and G major (one step clockwise). Their chords overlap most with C major's, which makes them the easiest keys to change to.