Music Theory Cheat Sheet: Keys, Scales, Chords, Notes & Intervals

✨🎵✨ An interactive music theory cheat sheet to get all you need at a glance: keys, scales, modes, notes, chords and intervals.

Just select a major or minor key and you'll get the notes of the scale, scale formula, the relative major or minor, modal scales for that key, scale degrees/intervals, the key signature, the diatonic chords, the diatonic 7th chords, the chord functions and the relationship with other keys on the Circle of Fifths (aka circle of fourth, when going counter-clockwise).

→ For more reference on chords and scales, you may like this scale formula chart, chord formula chart and this list of chords.

key:

C♯
D♭
D
D♯
E♭
E
F
F♯
G♭
G
G♯
A♭
A
A♯
B♭
B
C♯
D♭
D
D♯
E♭
E
F
F♯
G♭
G
G♯
A♭
A
A♯
B♭
B

C Major

C Major Scale

formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 _♭3 4 5 _♭6 _♭7
steps: whole whole half whole whole whole half whole half whole whole half whole whole

relative minor → A Minor

C Harmonic Minor Scale

formula: 1 2 _♭3 4 5 _♭6 7

C Melodic Minor Scale

formula: 1 2 _♭3 4 5 6 7

relative major → A Major

Modes of the Major Scale

C Major Pentatonic Scale

formula: 1 2 3 5 6

C Major Blues Scale

formula: 1 2 _♭3 3 5 6

C Minor Pentatonic Scale

formula: 1 _♭3 4 5 _♭7

C Minor Blues Scale

formula: 1 _♭3 4 _♭5 5 _♭7

C Major Scale Degrees & Intervals

1- Tonic: C → Unison
2- Supertonic: D → Major 2nd
3- Mediant: E → Major 3rd
4- Subdominant: F → Perfect 4th
5- Dominant: G → Perfect 5th
6- Submediant: A → Major 6th
7- Leading Tone: B → Major 7th
8/1- Octave/Tonic: C → Perfect 8th

C Major Key Signature & Notation

Theoretical Scale

The scale is a theoretical scale that contains double accidentals. For this reason, that scale is not used often. The enharmonic equivalent scale is used instead most of the time.

C Major Diatonic Chords

I	ii	iii	IV	V	vi	vii°
C C E G	Dm D F A	Em E G B	F	G	Am	B°

C Major Diatonic 7th Chords

I^M7	ii^m7	iii^m7	IV^M7	V⁷	vi^m7	vii^ø7
C C E G B	Dm7 D F A C	Em E G B D	F F A C E	G	Am⁷	B^ø7

In functional harmony for a major key:

the tonic chords are chords I, iii & vi
the subdominant chords are chords IV & ii
the dominant chords are chords V & vii°

i	ii°	III	iv	v	VI	VII
C C Eb G	D° D F Ab	Eb Eb G Bb	Fm	Gm	A	B

C Natural Minor Diatonic 7th Chords

i^m7	ii^ø7	III^M7	iv^m7	v^m7	VI^M7	vii⁷
C C Eb G Bb	Dm7 D F Ab C	Em E G B D	F F A C E	G	AM⁷	B⁷

In functional harmony for a minor key:

the tonic chords are chords i & III
the subdominant chords are chords iv, VI & ii°
the dominant chords are chords V, v, VII & vii°

The harmonic minor scale has a raised 7th scale degree compared to the natural minor scale, which makes that 7th scale degree into a leading tone and makes the V chord a major chord. In functional harmony, that V chord from the harmonic minor scale is used most often because the leading tone gives a stronger sense of wanting to be resolved to the tonic.

C Major on the Circle of Fifths

Common C Chords

click to hear the different chords

Order of sharps

F C G D A E B

Order of flats

B E A D G C F

Chromatic Scale

C-D_♭-D-E_♭-E-F-G_♭-G-A_♭-A-B_♭-B
alternative enharmonic spelling:
C-C^♯-D-D^♯-E-F-F^♯-G-G^♯-A-A^♯-B

Solfège syllables

Do Re Mi Fa So(l) La Ti Do

Accidentals

Double Sharp: 𝄪
Sharp: ♯
Natural: ♮
Flat: ♭
Double Flat: ♭♭

Chord Symbols

Major: M, maj, △
Minor: m, min, -
Dominant 7th: 7, dom7
Diminished: dim, °
Half-diminished: m7b5, ^ø
Augmented: aug, +