Chords in the key of
A Major
The notes of the D♭ major scale are:
A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G#
→
→
→
| ♭III | iv | ♭VI | ♭VII |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | Fm | A♭ | B♭ |
| E♭ major | F minor | A♭ major | B♭ major |
| E♭ - G - B♭ | F - A♭ - C | A♭ - C - E♭ | B♭ - D - F |
The scale’s notes are numbered from 1 to 7 using Roman numerals. Build a basic triad (1-3-5) chord on each of those seven notes and you get:
| I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Bm | C#m | D | E | F#m | G#dim |
| A major | B minor | C sharp minor | D major | E major | F sharp minor | G sharp diminished |
| A - C# - E | B - D - F# | C# - E - G# | D - F# - A | E - G# - B | F# - A - C# | G# - B - D |
→
→
→
Quick songwriter cheat sheet: Progressions in D♭ Major
Heavy but elegant:
→
Dramatic or introspective:
Like the end of a very serious film:
→
→
→
That’s the diatonic set. If you stay strictly inside the key, these are your friends. The pattern of naming chords for every major key is:
Major, Minor, Minor, Major, Major, Minor, Diminished. Numerals in UPPERCASE (I, IV, V) denote major chords, and numerals in lowercase (ii, iii, vi) denote minor chords.
Borrowed Chords: the very common “but actually…” part
In a lot of music, especially cinematic and dramatic styles, Db major often borrows from C# minor for colour.
This lowers the F to E, the B♭ to A, and the C to B, which creates the following changes:
The altered scale affects C major’s iii, IV, vi & vii° chords, creating the following changes:
Common extended chords you’ll hear constantly