Chords in the Key of C Major

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:

I ii iii IV V vi vii^o C D E F G A B M m m M M m d

Easy on a piano keyboard, the C major scale is just all the white keys, no black keys:

I
ii
iii
IV
V
vi
vii^o

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 Major Chord Inversions

Inversion	C Major	C Major 7th
1^st	E G C	E G B C
2^nd	G C E	G B C E
3^rd		B C E G

ii - D minor & D minor 7th (Supertonic)

D F A C

D Minor Chord Inversions

Inversion	D Minor	D Minor 7th
1^st	F A D	F A C D
2^nd	A D F	A C D F
3^rd		C D F A

iii - E minor & E minor 7th (Mediant)

E G B D

E Minor Chord Inversions

Inversion	E Minor	E minor 7th
1^st	G B E	G B D E
2^nd	B E G	B D E G
3^rd		D E G B

IV - F Major & F Major 7th (Subdominant)

F A C E

F Major Chord Inversions

Inversion	F Major	F Major 7th
1^st	A C F	A C E F
2^nd	C F A	C E F A
3^rd		E F A C

V - G Major & G Dominant 7th (Dominant)

G B D F

G Major Chord Inversions

Inversion	G Major	G Dominant 7th
1^st	B D G	B D F G
2^nd	D G B	D F G B
3^rd		F G B D

vi - A minor & A minor 7th (Submediant)

A C E G

A Minor Chord Inversions

Inversion	A Minor	A minor 7th
1^st	C E A	C E G A
2^nd	E A C	E G A C
3^rd		G A C E

vii^o - B Diminished & B minor 7th Flat Five (Leading Tone)

B D F A

B Diminished Chord Inversions

Inversion	B Diminished	B minor 7th Flat Five
1^st	D F B	D F A B
2^nd	F B D	F A B D
3^rd		A B D F