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No sharps or flats

Chords in the Key of C Major

The simplest key in music — seven chords, no accidentals.

The Tonic
Tonic
C
I · Tonic
1
The Other Six Diatonic Chords
ii2
Dm
Supertonic
iii3
Em
Mediant
IV4
F
Subdominant
V5
G
Dominant
vi6
Am
Submediant
vii°7
Bdim
Leading Tone
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Load the key of C Major onto the fretboard.

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Questions about the key of C Major

What are the 7 chords in the key of C Major?

The key of C Major contains C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim. In Roman numerals that's I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii° — the tonic (C) is home, and the dominant (G) creates the tension that resolves back to it.

Why is C major the first key most people learn?

Because it has no sharps or flats, so every note is a white key on a piano and every chord is a plain, open shape on guitar. That makes the relationship between the scale and its chords as visible as it ever gets — which is why theory is almost always taught from C.

Related keys

G MajorKeyD MajorKey