Chords in the key of
e Major
The notes of the E major scale are:
E – F# – G# – A – B – C# – D#
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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° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D#dim |
| E major | F sharp minor | G# minor | A major | B major | C sharp minor | D# diminished |
| E - G# - B | F# - A - C# | G# - B - D# | A - C# - E | B - D# - F# | C# - E - G# | D# - F# - A |
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Quick songwriter cheat sheet: Progressions in D♭ Major
Heavy but elegant:
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Dramatic or introspective:
Like the end of a very serious film:
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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 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