C major: scale, chords and key signature

Notes

Key signature

No sharps or flats

Relative minor

Camelot

The C major scale

The C major scale is C, D, E, F, G, A and B. Like every major scale it climbs in the same steps: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

C major scale on piano: C, D, E, F, G, A and B, marked on the keys

Chords in C major

Build a chord on each note of the scale, using only notes from the key, and you get the seven chords of C major:

The three major chords, C, F and G, carry most songs in C major. The three minor ones, Dm, Em and Am, add the darker colors. B° is diminished and rarely used on its own.

With a 7th added, the chords become:

9th, 11th and 13th chords in C major

Stack more notes from the key on top of the 7ths and you get the lush chords of neo-soul, R&B and lo-fi. These are the ones that sound good in C major; the rest clash.

Chords from outside C major

Songs often borrow a chord from outside the key for color. Fm, A♭ and B♭ come from C minor. D7, E7 and A7 are secondary dominants: 7th chords that pull hard toward one of the key's own chords.

Tap one to hear it pull back into C major.

Chord progressions in C major

Eight progressions that sound like C major, from pop to lo-fi. Play one, or tap any chord on this page to build your own and download it as MIDI.

120 BPM

The pop progression: thousands of hits use it
The same four chords, starting on the sad one
The royal road: the lift behind J-pop and anime
The 50s progression, still in ballads today
The jazz cadence, with the 9ths and 13ths of neo-soul
The minor iv, borrowed: a bittersweet way home
♭VII, borrowed from the minor key: the classic rock move
The oldest move in pop, rock and blues

C major key signature

C major has no sharps or flats: it uses only the white keys of the piano, which is why it's the first key most people learn.

Relative minor: A minor. It uses exactly the same notes, starting from A. Songs move between the two easily, and key finders often mix them up.
Parallel minor: C minor. The same home note with the other mood (3 flats). Borrowing a chord from it is a classic way to add color.
Next door on the circle of fifths: G major (1 sharp) and F major (1 flat). Each shares all but one note with C major, so a song can move there smoothly.

Clockwise adds a sharp; counterclockwise adds a flat. Tap a key to hear it, again to open it.

C major in Camelot: 8B

DJs use the Camelot wheel to mix in key. C major is 8B. It mixes smoothly with 7B and 9B (one step around the wheel) and with 8A (A minor, the same notes). See the Camelot wheel.

What key is your song in?

Drop a song into our free key finder to see its key and Camelot code, or record anything your Mac plays with DOT and get its key, tempo and chords, saved as MIDI for your DAW.

Song not on your computer? DOT reads it while it plays.

Questions

What notes are in C major?

C, D, E, F, G, A and B.

What are the most popular chord progressions in C major?

I–V–vi–IV (C G Am F); vi–IV–I–V (Am F C G); IVmaj7–V7–iii7–vi7 (Fmaj7 G7 Em7 Am7).

What chords are in C major?

C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and B°.

Does C major have any sharps or flats?

No. It uses only the natural notes, the white keys on a piano.

What is the relative minor of C major?

A minor. It has the same notes and the same key signature.

What is C major in Camelot?

8B.

Piano: Salamander Grand Piano, CC BY 3.0