Chords in the Key of C Major — Guitar Chord Chart

Guitar Chords in the Key of C Major

The key of C major has no sharps or flats, and its seven chords are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim. Start with C, F, G: they are the three a song in C major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of C major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

ICx32010the home chord
iiDmxx0231leads to V
iiiEm022000a softer stand-in for I
IVF133211the step away from home
VG320003pulls back to I
viAmx02210the relative minor
vii°Bdimx20431rare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

C is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. F is the step away, and G is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are x32010, 133211 and 320003: C with three fingers, F with a barre at the 1st fret and three more fingers and G with three fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 3rd fret

C major is not a friendly key on guitar — F needs a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 3rd fret and play the chords of A major instead: every shape sounds 3 semitones higher, so the A shape sounds C, the D shape sounds F and the E shape sounds G.

Progressions in C major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VC – F – G

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVC – G – Am – F

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VC – Am – F – G

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – IDm – G7 – C

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. G7 is the one worth learning first: it is G with one note added, and it pulls toward C harder than the plain chord does.

V7G7320001the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7Cmaj7x32000home, softened
ii7Dm7xx0211the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

C major is the notes C – D – E – F – G – A – B. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in C major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is A minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: G major and F major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of C major?

C (I), Dm (ii), Em (iii), F (IV), G (V), Am (vi), Bdim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the C major scale — C, D, E, F, G, A, B — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in C major?

C, F and G — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. C is home, F moves away from it and G pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of C major?

A minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in C major is the home chord of A minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is C major an easy key on guitar?

One everyday chord — F — needs a barre or four fingers on guitar. The usual way round that is a capo at the 3rd fret, playing the chord shapes of A major.

Strum them yourself

The playable guitar puts the chords of a key in a row: tap one to hold it, and drag across the strings.

Play the Virtual Guitar