As you explore the world of guitar playing, understanding scales and chords is fundamental. The C major scale is often the first scale guitarists learn, and with it comes a set of essential chords. In this guide, we’ll break down the C Major Scale Guitar Chords, providing you with chord charts, common chord progressions, and the music theory that explains why these chords belong in the key of C major.
C Major Chords Chart
Every major scale contains seven notes, and each of these notes can serve as the root of a chord. In the key of C major, these seven chords are derived directly from the scale. Here’s a handy chart showing the chords in C major:
| Degree | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord | C major | D minor | E minor | F major | G major | A minor | B dim |
| Chart |
Quick Tip: Remember this pattern for any major key: the chord qualities will always follow Major (I), minor (ii), minor (iii), Major (IV), Major (V), minor (vi), and diminished (vii). This consistent structure is a cornerstone of music theory and will help you learn chords in other keys as well.
Popular Chord Progressions in the Key of C
Understanding the c major scale guitar chords is only the first step. To make music, you’ll want to combine these chords into progressions. Chord progressions are sequences of chords that create a musical phrase or song section. Here are some of the most popular and useful chord progressions you can play using chords from the key of C major:
| Progression | Chords |
|---|---|
| I-IV-V | C-F-G |
| I-IV-I-V | C-F-C-G |
| I-V-vi-IV | C-G-Am-F |
| I-ii-IV-V | C-Dm-F-G |
| I-vi-ii-V | C-Am-Dm-G |
| I-vi-IV-V | C-Am-F-G |
These progressions are incredibly common in popular music across genres. Practice playing these progressions to get comfortable with the c major scale guitar chords and start creating your own music!
The Theory: Why These Chords Work in C Major
To understand why these specific chords are in the key of C major, we need to delve into a little music theory. All chords within a major key are built using notes from that major scale. If you’re new to scales, it’s helpful to first learn the major scale on guitar before proceeding further.
The C major scale consists of seven notes, each assigned a degree:
| Degree: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 (Octave) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note: | C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
The next step is to build triads on each of these scale degrees. A triad is a three-note chord. We build these triads using the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees from the major scale of each root note. However, we must ensure that all notes in these triads come from the C major scale. If a note falls outside of the C major scale, we need to adjust it (usually by flattening it) to fit within the key.
Let’s look at how we determine whether each chord is major, minor, or diminished within the key of C major. We’ll be working with three types of triads:
- Major Triad (Major Chords): Built using the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the major scale (1-3-5).
- Minor Triad (Minor Chords): Built using the 1st, flattened 3rd, and 5th degrees of the major scale (1-b3-5).
- Diminished Triad (Diminished Chords): Built using the 1st, flattened 3rd, and flattened 5th degrees of the major scale (1-b3-b5).
Let’s break down each chord in the key of C:
-
C Major
- C Major Scale Degrees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (C D E F G A B C)
- Triad Formula (Major): 1-3-5
- Notes: C, E, G
- Result: C Major Chord
-
D Minor
- D Major Scale Degrees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (D E F# G A B C# D)
- Triad Formula (Minor): 1-b3-5
- Normally, the 3rd would be F#, but F# is not in C major scale. We flatten it to F.
- Notes: D, F, A
- Result: D Minor Chord
-
E Minor
- E Major Scale Degrees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (E F# G# A B C# D# E)
- Triad Formula (Minor): 1-b3-5
- Normally, the 3rd would be G#, but G# is not in C major scale. We flatten it to G.
- Notes: E, G, B
- Result: E Minor Chord
-
F Major
- F Major Scale Degrees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (F G A Bb C D E F)
- Triad Formula (Major): 1-3-5
- Notes: F, A, C
- Result: F Major Chord
-
G Major
- G Major Scale Degrees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (G A B C D E F# G)
- Triad Formula (Major): 1-3-5
- Notes: G, B, D
- Result: G Major Chord
-
A Minor
- A Major Scale Degrees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (A B C# D E F# G# A)
- Triad Formula (Minor): 1-b3-5
- Normally, the 3rd would be C#, but C# is not in C major scale. We flatten it to C.
- Notes: A, C, E
- Result: A Minor Chord
-
B Diminished
- B Major Scale Degrees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (B C# D# E F# G# A# B)
- Triad Formula (Diminished): 1-b3-b5
- Normally, the 3rd would be D# and 5th would be F#, but neither are in C major scale. We flatten both to D and F.
- Notes: B, D, F
- Result: B Diminished Chord
By understanding this process, you now know not just what the c major scale guitar chords are, but also why they are constructed this way. This knowledge is crucial for expanding your musical understanding and applying these principles to other keys and scales.
Explore guitar chords in other keys to continue your musical journey and deepen your understanding of harmony on the guitar.
