Chords in the Key of C Major — Ukulele Chord Chart

Ukulele 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.

IC0003the home chord
iiDm2210leads to V
iiiEm0432a softer stand-in for I
IVF2010the step away from home
VG0232pulls back to I
viAm2000the relative minor
vii°Bdim4212rare — 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 ukulele they are 0003, 2010 and 0232: C with one finger, F with two fingers and G with three fingers.

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.

V7G70212the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7Cmaj70002home, softened
ii7Dm72213the 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 ukulele?

Yes. All six of its everyday chords are open shapes on ukulele, with no barre and three fingers or fewer.

Strum them yourself

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

Play the Virtual Ukulele