The key of C major on piano
C D E F G A B — and everything inside it.
The key of C major on piano: the scale, the chord on every degree, the seventh chords and the pentatonics — drawn above, each a tap away. The row of chips over the piano is the key’s chords; the dropdown switches it to seventh chords or pentatonics, the shape menu draws a chord as one grip at a time, and a tap on any note finds the chords that hold it. For the why, read chords in a key.
The notes of C major
C major is C D E F G A B: the major scale on C, seven notes, labeled 1 to 7 on the piano above. The scale on its own, in every position, is on its page.
The chords in C major
The triad on each degree, stacked from the key’s own notes; the numeral’s case is the chord’s quality. The explorer above draws the six you can rest on.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | C | C E G |
| ii | Dm | D F A |
| iii | Em | E G B |
| IV | F | F A C |
| V | G | G B D |
| vi | Am | A C E |
| vii° | B° — passed through, not rested on | B D F |
The seventh chords in C major
One more third on each — the row on “Tetrads” above.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Cmaj7 | C E G B |
| ii7 | Dm7 | D F A C |
| iii7 | Em7 | E G B D |
| IVmaj7 | Fmaj7 | F A C E |
| V7 | G7 | G B D F |
| vi7 | Am7 | A C E G |
| viiø7 | Bm7♭5 — passed through, not rested on | B D F A |
The pentatonics in C major
The five-note scale on each degree that fits inside the key — major where the degree’s chord is major, minor where it is minor. The row on “Pentatonics” above.
| Degree | Scale | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | C pent | C D E G A |
| ii | Dm pent | D F G A C |
| iii | Em pent | E G A B D |
| IV | F pent | F G A C D |
| V | G pent | G A B D E |
| vi | Am pent | A C D E G |
| vii | Bm pent — not in the key | B D E F♯ A |
The same notes from another home
Relative minor: A minor; Its dorian mode: D dorian; Its phrygian mode: E phrygian; Its lydian mode: F lydian; Its mixolydian mode: G mixolydian. Parallel minor, the same root with different notes: C minor.