Key guide
E major: scale, key signature and chords
E major has four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯). Its scale is E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯ — play the scale and every chord below.
- Key signature
- F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ — four sharps
- Scale notes
- E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯
- Relative minor
- C♯ minor
- Parallel minor
- E minor
- Dominant key
- B major
- Subdominant key
- A major
- On the piano
- 4 black keys and 3 white in the scale
The E major scale
The E major scale uses the notes E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯, the major-scale pattern of whole and half steps (W–W–H–W–W–W–H) starting on E. Each letter name appears once, which is why the accidentals are written as F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ rather than as their enharmonic equivalents.
| Degree | Note | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E | tonic |
| 2 | F♯ | supertonic |
| 3 | G♯ | mediant |
| 4 | A | subdominant |
| 5 | B | dominant |
| 6 | C♯ | submediant |
| 7 | D♯ | leading tone |
Chords in E 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 | E G♯ B | E G♯ B D♯ | tonic |
| ii | F♯ A C♯ | F♯ A C♯ E | predominant |
| iii | G♯ B D♯ | G♯ B D♯ F♯ | tonic substitute |
| IV | A C♯ E | A C♯ E G♯ | predominant |
| V | B D♯ F♯ | B D♯ F♯ A | dominant |
| vi | C♯ E G♯ | C♯ E G♯ B | tonic substitute |
| vii° | D♯ F♯ A | D♯ F♯ A C♯ | dominant |
Chord progressions in E major
Four progressions worked out in E major, each one playable:
- I – V – vi – IV E – B – C♯m – AThe four-chord loop under a large share of pop songs.
- ii – V – I F♯m – B – EThe standard jazz cadence: predominant, dominant, tonic.
- I – IV – V – I E – A – B – EThe plain three-chord cadence at the root of tonal harmony.
- I – vi – IV – V E – C♯m – A – BThe 1950s progression: tonic, relative minor, subdominant, dominant.
Keys related to E major
- Relative minor: C♯ minor — same key signature, different home note.
- Dominant: B major — one step clockwise on the circle of fifths; the key most pieces in E major modulate to.
- Subdominant: A major — one step counter-clockwise, adding one flat (or removing one sharp).
- Parallel minor: E minor — same tonic, opposite mode.
Questions
What are the notes in E major?
The E major scale is E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯.
How many sharps or flats are in E major?
E major has four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯.
What is the relative minor of E major?
The relative minor of E major is C♯ minor. The two keys share a key signature and the same seven notes, but C♯ is the home note of the minor key.
What chords are in E major?
The seven diatonic triads in E major are E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B, C♯m, D♯°.