Guitar Chord Key Chart

Learn the exact chords that form your favorite keys!

A guitar chord key chart is a visual representation that provides a breakdown of the chords that naturally fit within a specific musical key based on the diatonic scale.

It helps guitarists and other musicians quickly identify the chords that are harmonically related to a particular key, which aids in songwriting, improvisation, and understanding musical structure.

Major Key Guitar Chords

Key I ii iii IV V vi* vii
C C Dm Em F G Am Bm♭5
C# C# D#m E#m F# G# A#m B#m♭5
D♭ D♭ E♭m Fm G♭ A♭ B♭m Cm♭5
D D Em F#m G A Bm C#m♭5
E♭ E♭ Fm Gm A♭ B♭ Cm Dm♭5
E E F#m G#m A B C#m D#m♭5
F F Gm Am B♭ C Dm Em♭5
F# F# G#m A#m B C# D#m E#m♭5
G♭ G♭ A♭m B♭m C♭ D♭ E♭m Fm♭5
G G Am Bm C D Em F#m♭5
A♭ A♭ B♭m Cm D♭ E♭m Fm Gm♭5
A A Bm C#m D E F#m G#m♭5
B♭ B♭ Cm Dm E♭ F Gm Am♭5
B B C#m D#m E F# G#m A#m♭5

In Western music, the diatonic scale has seven distinct notes.

Each of these notes can have a chord built upon it.

The common types of chords in major keys are:

  • Major (represented by the Roman numeral “I” for the first note of the scale, “IV” for the fourth, and “V” for the fifth)
  • Minor (represented by “ii”, “iii”, and “vi” for the second, third, and sixth notes, respectively)
  • Diminished (represented by “vii” for the seventh note)

So, for example, in the key of C major:

  • I – C Major
  • ii – D Minor
  • iii – E Minor
  • IV – F Major
  • V – G Major
  • vi – A Minor
  • vii – B Diminished

The guitar chord key chart you provided in the table earlier is a great example of this concept.

It gives a clear overview of which major, minor, and diminished chords fit into each key.

This helps musicians choose the right chords when playing in a particular key, ensuring that the music sounds harmonically cohesive.

Beyond this, some guitar chord key charts may also show seventh chords, suspended chords, or other variations, but the basic major/minor/diminished structure is foundational to understanding music theory.

Minor Key Guitar Chords

Key i ii III iv v VI VII
Cm Cm Dm♭5 E♭ Fm Gm A♭ B♭
C#m C#m Dm♭5 E F#m G#m A B
Dm Dm Em♭5 F Gm Am B♭ C
D#m D#m E#m♭5 F# G#m A#m B C#
E♭m E♭m Fm♭5 G♭ A♭m B♭m C♭ D♭
Em Em F#m♭5 G Am Bm C D
Fm Fm Gm♭5 A♭ B♭m Cm D♭ E♭m
F#m F#m G#m♭5 A Bm C#m D E
Gm Gm Am♭5 B♭ Cm Dm E♭ F
G#m G#m A#m♭5 B C# D# E F#
Am Am Bm♭5 C Dm Em F G
A#m A#m B#m♭5 C# D#m E#m F# G#
B♭m B♭m Cm♭5 D♭ E♭m Fm G♭ A♭
Bm Bm C#m♭5 D Em F#m G A

Worth noting, there are 12 unique keys in Western music, represented by the 12 unique notes.

  1. C
  2. C#/D♭
  3. D
  4. D#/E♭
  5. E
  6. F
  7. F#/G♭
  8. G
  9. G#/A♭
  10. A
  11. A#/B♭
  12. B

These tables we provided for the major and minor keys indeed listed 14 keys.

Some keys were represented twice but using their enharmonic equivalents.

The concept of “enharmonic equivalents” refers to notes, intervals, or chords that sound the same but are named differently.

For example, A# and B♭ are different names for the same pitch.

When reading the table, you might notice this, just know is to make it easy for you to understand and find the exact key you’re looking for.

How to these tables?

The Major and Minor Key Chord Key Charts serve as comprehensive guides for understanding the diatonic chords available in each major and minor key.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to effectively utilize both tables:

  1. Identify Your Desired Key:
    • If you’re working with or interested in a major key, refer to the Major Key table.
    • For minor keys, use the Minor Key table.
    • The leftmost column of each table lists all respective keys.
  2. Understand Diatonic Chords:
    • For each key, the table displays the diatonic chords — those formed using only the notes from that key’s scale.
    • They are labeled from “I” to “VII” (for major) and “i” to “vii” (for minor), indicating the degree of the scale from which the chord is derived.
  3. Recognize Chord Quality:
    • Major Table:
      • “I”, “IV”, and “V” are major chords.
      • “ii”, “iii”, and “vi” are minor chords.
      • “vii” is a diminished chord.
    • Minor Table:
      • “i” is the tonic or root minor chord.
      • “iv” and “v” are also minor chords.
      • “III”, “VI”, and “VII” are major chords.
      • “ii” is a diminished chord.
  4. Enharmonic Equivalents: Some keys are represented twice, using different names for the same pitch (e.g., A# and B♭). They’re called enharmonic equivalents. Choose the notation that best fits your musical context.
  5. Crafting Chord Progressions:
    • Use the tables to form chord progressions within your chosen key.
    • Common progressions include “I – IV – V” in major keys and “i – VI – VII” in minor keys.
  6. Transposition:
    • If you grasp a chord progression in one key and wish to transpose it to another, shift horizontally across the rows in the appropriate table. The relative relationships between the chords will remain consistent.
  7. Comparison Between Major and Minor:
    • Understand the mood and tonal differences:
      • Major keys generally sound bright and joyful.
      • Minor keys typically have a more somber or introspective quality.
    • Switching between major and minor progressions within a song can evoke contrasting emotions and dynamics.
  8. Going Beyond:
    • These tables provide the foundational diatonic chords, but music is vast and rich. Feel free to experiment by adding non-diatonic chords, modulations, borrowed chords, or other elements to enrich your compositions.

With these tables at your disposal, both novice and seasoned musicians can swiftly discern the primary chords within any major or minor key.

This facilitates efficient songwriting, improvisation, and musical analysis.

Always remember, while the tables are excellent guides, there are no limits in music—feel free to innovate and experiment!