Navigating the world of guitar chords and keys can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to understand how they all fit together. A Guitar Key Chart is an essential tool that demystifies this process, offering a clear roadmap to the chords that naturally harmonize within major and minor keys.
This comprehensive guide will explore what a guitar key chart is, how to use it effectively, and why it’s indispensable for songwriters, improvisers, and anyone wanting a deeper understanding of music theory on the guitar. Whether you’re figuring out the key of a song, writing your own chord progressions, or simply expanding your musical knowledge, understanding guitar key charts is a game-changer.
Guitar key charts are more than just lists of chords; they are practical references that unlock a deeper understanding of musical relationships. They are particularly useful for:
- Determining the Key of a Song: By identifying the chords used in a song and comparing them to a key chart, you can often pinpoint the song’s key.
- Chord Selection and Substitution: These charts guide you in choosing chords that will sound harmonically consistent within a specific key, and offer options for chord substitutions to add flavor to your playing.
- Writing Chord Progressions: For songwriters, guitar key charts are invaluable for creating chord progressions that sound natural and musically coherent within a chosen key.
Let’s dive into the specifics of major and minor key guitar chord charts.
Major Keys Guitar Chord Chart
The chart below outlines the diatonic chords in all major keys. Diatonic chords are the chords that are built naturally from the notes of a major scale. Understanding these relationships is fundamental to grasping music theory.
The top row of the chart uses Roman numerals to represent the scale degree of each chord. Uppercase numerals (I, IV, V) denote major chords, while lowercase numerals (ii, iii, vi) represent minor chords. The diminished chord (vii°) is also indicated.
Download the Guitar Chord Keys Chart for the Major Keys PDF
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi* | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bdim |
| C# | C# | D#m | E#m | F# | G# | A#m | B#dim |
| D♭ | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ | B♭m | Cdim |
| D | D | Em | F#m | G | A | Bm | C#dim |
| E♭ | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ | Cm | Ddim |
| E | E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D#dim |
| F | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C | Dm | Edim |
| F# | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | E#dim |
| G♭ | G♭ | A♭m | B♭m | C♭ | D♭ | E♭m | Fdim |
| G | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F#dim |
| A♭ | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | Gdim |
| A | A | Bm | C#m | D | E | F#m | G#dim |
| B♭ | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F | Gm | Adim |
| B | B | C#m | D#m | E | F# | G#m | A#dim |
* The vi chord in a major key is also known as the relative minor. Major and relative minor keys share the same key signature and set of chords, differing only in their tonal center. To delve deeper, explore relative major and minor keys.
Minor Keys Guitar Chord Chart
This guitar key chart presents the diatonic chords for minor keys. Like the major key chart, the top row displays the interval for each chord using Roman numerals.
Download the Guitar Chord Key Chart for the Minor Keys PDF
| Key | i | ii° | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Am | Am | Bdim | C | Dm | Em | F | G |
| A#m | A#m | B#dim | C# | D#m | E#m | F# | G# |
| B♭m | B♭m | Cdim | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ |
| Bm | Bm | C#dim | D | Em | F#m | G | A |
| Cm | Cm | Ddim | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ |
| C#m | C#m | D#dim | E | F#m | G#m | A | B |
| Dm | Dm | Edim | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C |
| D#m | D#m | E#dim | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# |
| E♭m | E♭m | Fdim | G♭ | A♭m | B♭m | C♭ | D♭ |
| Em | Em | F#dim | G | Am | Bm | C | D |
| Fm | Fm | Gdim | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭m |
| F#m | F#m | G#dim | A | Bm | C#m | D | E |
| Gm | Gm | Adim | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F |
| G#m | G#m | A#dim | B | C#m | D#m | E | F# |
* The III chord in a minor key is the relative major key. Relative major and minor keys share the same key signature and chords, with the interval numbering adjusted to reflect the minor root. Learn more about relative major and minor keys.
Understanding Diatonic Chords and Key
The chords within a key are derived from the scale of that key. For example, the chords in the key of G major are built from the G major scale. The specific chord type (major, minor, diminished) is determined by the intervals between the notes within the scale.
To understand how these chords are constructed, explore our lesson on Building Chords from the Major Scale. This lesson provides a step-by-step guide to creating major and minor chords within a key.
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