Chords in the Key of C Major

The key of C major is built on the notes C – D – E – F – G – A – B. Every chord below is drawn from that scale, so they all sound at home together.

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The seven chords in C major

Numeral	Chord	Notes	Quality
I	C	C E G	Major
ii	Dm	D F A	Minor
iii	Em	E G B	Minor
IV	F	F A C	Major
V	G	G B D	Major
vi	Am	A C E	Minor
vii°	Bdim	B D F	Diminished

Seventh chords in C major

Adding the next third on top of each triad gives the seventh chords of the key — the harmonic vocabulary most jazz and soul writing starts from.

Numeral	Chord	Notes
Imaj7	Cmaj7	C E G B
ii7	Dm7	D F A C
iii7	Em7	E G B D
IVmaj7	Fmaj7	F A C E
V7	G7	G B D F
vi7	Am7	A C E G
viiø7	Bm7b5	B D F A

Common chord progressions in C major

Numerals	Chords in C major	Why it works
I – V – vi – IV	C – G – Am – F	The most common progression in modern pop music.
I – IV – V – I	C – F – G – C	The classic three-chord cadence used across blues, folk and rock.
ii – V – I	Dm – G – C	The backbone of jazz harmony.
vi – IV – I – V	Am – F – C – G	A softer, minor-flavoured rotation of the pop progression.

Relative minor key

C major shares all of its notes with A minor, so switching between the two changes the mood of a piece without changing a single note. See A minor.

Scale reference

See the full C Major scale for its fingering, key signature, degrees and step pattern.

Other scales for this key: C major pentatonic.

Other keys

C# major D major Eb major E major F major F# major G major Ab major A major Bb major B major

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of C major?

The key of C major contains C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim. These are the triads built on each degree of the C major scale.

What is the relative minor of C major?

The relative minor of C major is A minor. Both keys use exactly the same notes but resolve to a different tonic.

How many sharps or flats does C major have?

The C major scale is spelled C, D, E, F, G, A, B, which gives it 0 sharps and 0 flats.