Chords in the key of
C Major
The notes of the C major scale are:
C – D – E – F – G – A – B
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| ♭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° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bdim |
| C major | D minor | E minor | F major | G major | A minor | B diminished |
| C - E - G | D - F - A | E - G - B | F - A - C | G - B - D | A - C - E | B - D - F |
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Quick songwriter cheat sheet: Progressions in C Major
Bright but sincere:
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Nostalgic or emotional:
Film ending or soft triumph:
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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 pop, rock, and film scoring, C major often borrows chords from C minor for colour.
This lowers the E to E♭, the A to A♭, and the B to B♭, giving you: C – D – E♭– F – G – A♭ – B♭
The altered scale affects C major’s iii, IV, vi & vii° chords, creating the following changes:
Common extended chords you’ll hear constantly