The Key of C major
C major is C – D – E – F – G – A – B.
Why this key
C major is the key with no sharps or flats, which makes it the one every explanation starts in — including most of this site. On a guitar it is slightly awkward: the open chords are all there, but C itself needs a fretted shape and the key has no open bass string of its own, which is why so many players who think in C end up capoing to play it in G shapes.
Every chord in C major
Seven chords, built on each note of the scale in turn.
| Numeral | Chord | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| I | C | major |
| ii | Dm | minor |
| iii | Em | minor |
| IV | F | major |
| V | G | major |
| vi | Am | minor |
| vii° | Bdim | dim |
The scale, on the neck
C major — C D E F G A B.
C Major (Ionian)
the plain major scaleNotesCDEFGAB
Chord-Scale Reference §2 / §7.5
Want more?
Hear these chords, change the key, and see every voicing in Turnaround