Key guide
C major: scale, key signature and chords
C major has no sharps or flats. Its scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, B — play the scale and every chord below.
- Key signature
- None (no sharps or flats)
- Scale notes
- C D E F G A B
- Relative minor
- A minor
- Parallel minor
- C minor
- Dominant key
- G major
- Subdominant key
- F major
- On the piano
- White keys only
The C major scale
The C major scale uses the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, the major-scale pattern of whole and half steps (W–W–H–W–W–W–H) starting on C. Each letter name appears once, which is why the scale is spelled with naturals only.
| Degree | Note | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | tonic |
| 2 | D | supertonic |
| 3 | E | mediant |
| 4 | F | subdominant |
| 5 | G | dominant |
| 6 | A | submediant |
| 7 | B | leading tone |
Chords in C major
Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives seven diatonic triads and seven seventh chords. The Roman numeral gives each chord’s position; the role column says what it usually does in a phrase.
| Chord | Triad | Seventh | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | C E G | C E G B | tonic |
| ii | D F A | D F A C | predominant |
| iii | E G B | E G B D | tonic substitute |
| IV | F A C | F A C E | predominant |
| V | G B D | G B D F | dominant |
| vi | A C E | A C E G | tonic substitute |
| vii° | B D F | B D F A | dominant |
Chord progressions in C major
Four progressions worked out in C major, each one playable:
- I – V – vi – IV C – G – Am – FThe four-chord loop under a large share of pop songs.
- ii – V – I Dm – G – CThe standard jazz cadence: predominant, dominant, tonic.
- I – IV – V – I C – F – G – CThe plain three-chord cadence at the root of tonal harmony.
- I – vi – IV – V C – Am – F – GThe 1950s progression: tonic, relative minor, subdominant, dominant.
Keys related to C major
- Relative minor: A minor — same key signature, different home note.
- Dominant: G major — one step clockwise on the circle of fifths; the key most pieces in C major modulate to.
- Subdominant: F major — one step counter-clockwise, adding one flat (or removing one sharp).
- Parallel minor: C minor — same tonic, opposite mode.
Questions
What are the notes in C major?
The C major scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, B.
How many sharps or flats are in C major?
C major has no sharps or flats. Every note of the scale is a natural, so on the piano it uses only white keys.
What is the relative minor of C major?
The relative minor of C major is A minor. The two keys share a key signature and the same seven notes, but A is the home note of the minor key.
What chords are in C major?
The seven diatonic triads in C major are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, B°.