Music Theory - C Major Scale and Chords in a C Major Scale

C Major Scale

C Major Scale consists of the following notes.

C   D   E   F   G   A   B

It includes all the white keys in a piano.

C Major Scale

The C Major Scale contains the following chords. At this point I am keeping this simple and so am displaying just the triads. A triad is a chord containing three notes. (Chords can contain more than three notes too).

C Major Chord:

C Major Chord

Notes : C  E  G

A 'C Major Chord' is also referred as the first chord in the C Major Scale. This is a major chord and so it is referred as Chord I or I.

D Minor Chord:

D Minor Chord

Notes : D  F  A

A 'D Minor Chord' is also referred as the second chord in the C Major Scale. This is a minor chord and so it is referred as Chord ii or ii.

E Minor Chord:

E Minor Chord

Notes : E  G  B

A 'E Minor Chord' is also referred as the third chord in the C Major Scale. This is a minor chord and so it is referred as Chord iii or iii.

F Major Chord:

F Major Chord

Notes : F  A  C

A 'F Major Chord' also referred as the fourth chord in the C Major Scale. This is a major chord and so it is referred as Chord IV or IV.

G Major Chord:

G Major Chord

Notes : G  B  D

A 'G Major Chord' also referred as the fifth chord in the C Major Scale. This is a major chord and so it is referred as Chord V or V.

A Minor Chord:

A Minor Chord

Notes : A  C  E

A 'A Minor Chord' is also referred as the sixth chord in the C Major Scale. This is a minor chord and so it is referred as Chord vi or vi.

B Diminished Chord:

B Diminished Chord

Notes : B  D  F

A 'B Diminished Chord' is also referred as the seventh chord in the C Major Scale. This is a diminished chord and so it is referred as Chord vii or vii.