On this page you'll find a visual reference to the diatonic triad and 7th chords in the key of C major. Diatonic is just a fancy word to mean the chords that are formed from the notes in the scale. Plus, you'll find a visual layout representation on a piano keyboard for each chord.
C Major Scale
Here are the notes that form the C Major scale. Click on any of the note letters to jump to its chords:
Easy on a piano keyboard, the C major scale is just all the white keys, no black keys:
- I
- ii
- iii
- IV
- V
- vi
- viio
C Major Chords
The diatonic triads and 7th chords in the key of C major are:
I - C Major & C Major 7th (Tonic)
C E G B
- C
- E
- G
- B
C Major Chord Inversions
Inversion | C Major | C Major 7th |
---|---|---|
1st | E G C | E G B C |
2nd | G C E | G B C E |
3rd | B C E G |
ii - D minor & D minor 7th (Supertonic)
D F A C
- D
- F
- A
- C
D Minor Chord Inversions
Inversion | D Minor | D Minor 7th |
---|---|---|
1st | F A D | F A C D |
2nd | A D F | A C D F |
3rd | C D F A |
iii - E minor & E minor 7th (Mediant)
E G B D
- E
- G
- B
- D
E Minor Chord Inversions
Inversion | E Minor | E minor 7th |
---|---|---|
1st | G B E | G B D E |
2nd | B E G | B D E G |
3rd | D E G B |
IV - F Major & F Major 7th (Subdominant)
F A C E
- F
- A
- C
- E
F Major Chord Inversions
Inversion | F Major | F Major 7th |
---|---|---|
1st | A C F | A C E F |
2nd | C F A | C E F A |
3rd | E F A C |
V - G Major & G Dominant 7th (Dominant)
G B D F
- G
- B
- D
- F
G Major Chord Inversions
Inversion | G Major | G Dominant 7th |
---|---|---|
1st | B D G | B D F G |
2nd | D G B | D F G B |
3rd | F G B D |
vi - A minor & A minor 7th (Submediant)
A C E G
- A
- C
- E
- G
A Minor Chord Inversions
Inversion | A Minor | A minor 7th |
---|---|---|
1st | C E A | C E G A |
2nd | E A C | E G A C |
3rd | G A C E |
viio - B Diminished & B minor 7th Flat Five (Leading Tone)
B D F A
- B
- D
- F
- A
B Diminished Chord Inversions
Inversion | B Diminished | B minor 7th Flat Five |
---|---|---|
1st | D F B | D F A B |
2nd | F B D | F A B D |
3rd | A B D F |