Reference | Major Keys
Diatonic triads: one chord built on each major-scale degree.
Major-key quality pattern: major – minor – minor – major – major – minor – diminished.
Roman numerals: I – ii – iii – IV – V – vi – vii°
Follow one row to find a chord family. Follow one column to compare the same relationship across different keys.
On a small screen, swipe across the chart to see all seven chords.
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bdim |
| G | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F♯dim |
| D | D | Em | F♯m | G | A | Bm | C♯dim |
| A | A | Bm | C♯m | D | E | F♯m | G♯dim |
| E | E | F♯m | G♯m | A | B | C♯m | D♯dim |
| B | B | C♯m | D♯m | E | F♯ | G♯m | A♯dim |
| F♯ | F♯ | G♯m | A♯m | B | C♯ | D♯m | E♯dim |
| D♭ | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ | B♭m | Cdim |
| A♭ | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭ | Fm | Gdim |
| E♭ | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ | Cm | Ddim |
| B♭ | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F | Gm | Adim |
| F | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C | Dm | Edim |
Use this chart to check your own work. The chord-quality pattern stays the same in every major key.
Read the Spellings
F♯ major includes E♯ as its seventh degree, so the seventh triad is E♯dim. E♯ shares a guitar pitch with F, but its spelling keeps the scale’s seven letters in order.
F♯ major and G♭ major share the same tonic pitch. Using the G♭ spelling, the chord family is:
G♭ – A♭m – B♭m – C♭ – D♭ – E♭m – Fdim.
C♭ shares a pitch with B. This chart uses one spelling for each of the 12 tonic pitches.