D Minor
Pure, innocent, and constantly underestimated.
Doesn’t need accidentals (# & ♭) in order to shine.
Chords in the key of C major
The notes of the C major scale are:
C – D – E – F – G – A – B
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 – C major: C - E - G
ii – D minor: D - F - A
iii – E minor: E - G - B
IV – F major: F - A - C
V – G major: G - B - D
vi – A minor: A - C - E
vii° – B diminished: B - D - F
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 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 – Ab – Bb
Which creates the following changes:
iv – F minor: F - A♭ - C
♭III – E♭ major: E♭ - G - Bb
♭VI – A♭ major: A♭ - C - Eb
♭VII – B♭ major: B♭ - D - F
These borrowed chords add weight and drama without fully leaving the key.
Common extended chords you’ll hear constantly
C / Cmaj7
Dm / Dm7
G / G7 (huge one)
Am / Am7
F / Fmaj7
Bb (borrowed, very common)
Quick songwriter cheat sheet
Bright but sincere:
C – G – Am – F
Nostalgic or emotional:
C – Am – F – G
Film ending or soft triumph:
C – F – Am – G – C