Free tool · 24 keys
Chords in every key
Every major and minor key, with its seven chords, the 7ths, the key signature and a few progressions you can play on the page. Pick a key on the circle, or scroll down for the whole chart.
In every major key the chords follow the same pattern: I ii iii IV V vi vii°. Uppercase is major, lowercase is minor, and ° is diminished. In C major that is C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim.
The chart
Chords in each major key
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bdim | none |
| G major | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F♯dim | 1 ♯ |
| D major | D | Em | F♯m | G | A | Bm | C♯dim | 2 ♯ |
| A major | A | Bm | C♯m | D | E | F♯m | G♯dim | 3 ♯ |
| E major | E | F♯m | G♯m | A | B | C♯m | D♯dim | 4 ♯ |
| B major | B | C♯m | D♯m | E | F♯ | G♯m | A♯dim | 5 ♯ |
| F♯ major | F♯ | G♯m | A♯m | B | C♯ | D♯m | E♯dim | 6 ♯ |
| D♭ major | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ | B♭m | Cdim | 5 ♭ |
| A♭ major | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭ | Fm | Gdim | 4 ♭ |
| E♭ major | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ | Cm | Ddim | 3 ♭ |
| B♭ major | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F | Gm | Adim | 2 ♭ |
| F major | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C | Dm | Edim | 1 ♭ |
Chords in each minor key
| Key | i | ii° | III | iv | v | VI | VII | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A minor | Am | Bdim | C | Dm | Em | F | G | none |
| E minor | Em | F♯dim | G | Am | Bm | C | D | 1 ♯ |
| B minor | Bm | C♯dim | D | Em | F♯m | G | A | 2 ♯ |
| F♯ minor | F♯m | G♯dim | A | Bm | C♯m | D | E | 3 ♯ |
| C♯ minor | C♯m | D♯dim | E | F♯m | G♯m | A | B | 4 ♯ |
| G♯ minor | G♯m | A♯dim | B | C♯m | D♯m | E | F♯ | 5 ♯ |
| E♭ minor | E♭m | Fdim | G♭ | A♭m | B♭m | C♭ | D♭ | 6 ♭ |
| B♭ minor | B♭m | Cdim | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ | 5 ♭ |
| F minor | Fm | Gdim | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭ | 4 ♭ |
| C minor | Cm | Ddim | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ | 3 ♭ |
| G minor | Gm | Adim | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F | 2 ♭ |
| D minor | Dm | Edim | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C | 1 ♭ |
Minor keys often swap the minor v for a major V (E major in A minor, for example), borrowed from the harmonic minor scale. Each minor key page shows it.
Hear them
Play any key
Press and hold a pad. Keys 1 to 8 work on a keyboard.Every chord in C major →
Progressions to try
The pop four I · V · vi · IV
C G Am F
I, V, vi, IV. The loop under a huge share of pop songs since the 2000s.
Three-chord song I · IV · V · I
C F G C
I, IV, V, I. Folk, country, punk, and most early rock and roll.
Minor start vi · IV · I · V
Am F C G
vi, IV, I, V. The pop four started on the sad chord, so it leans wistful.
Doo-wop I · vi · IV · V
C Am F G
I, vi, IV, V. The 1950s ballad loop.
Jazz turnaround ii · V · I · I
Dm G C C
ii, V, I. The cadence jazz is built from. Try it with sevenths on.
Royal road IV · V · iii · vi
F G Em Am
IV, V, iii, vi. A favourite of Japanese pop and anime themes.
Questions
How do you find the chords in a key?
Take the key's scale and build a chord on each of its seven notes by stacking every other note. In a major key that always gives the same pattern: I, IV and V are major, ii, iii and vi are minor, and vii° is diminished. In a natural minor key it is i, iv and v minor, III, VI and VII major, and ii° diminished.
Which key is easiest for beginners?
On piano, C major and A minor, because they use only the white keys. On guitar, G, C, D, E minor and A minor are friendliest, because their chords are open shapes near the nut.
What is the circle of fifths?
A clock of the 12 keys arranged so each step clockwise adds one sharp (or removes one flat). Neighbours share six of their seven notes, so moving between them sounds smooth. Each major key sits beside its relative minor, which uses the same notes.
Why do some keys have two names?
Some keys sound identical but can be spelled two ways, like F sharp major and G flat major. Musicians usually pick the spelling with fewer sharps or flats. This site uses the common spelling and mentions the other one on the page.