Key of C

Everything on this site that is rooted on C: the twenty scales and modes, the twenty-three chord qualities, the seven chords that belong to the key, the capo positions that produce it from an open shape, the tunings whose home note it is, and the fretboard maps.

Key signature: C major · no sharps or flats
Notes of C major: C D E F G A B
Degrees of C major: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Relative minor: A minor — the same notes, tonic on the sixth degree
Notes of C natural minor: C D Eb F G Ab Bb
Relative major: Eb major
A fifth above (dominant): G
A fourth above (subdominant): F
Tunings rooted here: Drop C, Open C, DADGAD with a low C
Capo positions with open shapes: capo 3 → A shapes · capo 5 → G shapes · capo 8 → E shapes · capo 10 → D shapes · capo 12 → C shapes

Chords that belong to the key

The seven triads built on the major scale, and the seventh chord on each degree.

Numeral	Triad	Notes	Triad page	Seventh	Seventh page
I	C	C E G	C	Cmaj7	Cmaj7
ii	Dm	D F A	Dm	Dm7	Dm7
iii	Em	E G B	Em	Em7	Em7
IV	F	F A C	F	Fmaj7	Fmaj7
V	G	G B D	G	G7	G7
vi	Am	A C E	Am	Am7	Am7
vii°	Bdim	B D F	Bdim	Bm7b5	Bm7b5

Numeral

Triad

Notes

Triad page

Seventh

Seventh page

C E G

Cmaj7

D F A

Dm7

iii

E G B

Em7

F A C

Fmaj7

G B D

A C E

Am7

vii°

Bdim

B D F

Bdim

Bm7b5

Scales and modes on C

All twenty scales on this site, set out on the same root.

Scale	Page	Degrees	Notes
Major	C major	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	C D E F G A B
Ionian	C ionian	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	C D E F G A B
Dorian	C dorian	1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7	C D Eb F G A Bb
Phrygian	C phrygian	1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7	C Db Eb F G Ab Bb
Lydian	C lydian	1 2 3 #4 5 6 7	C D E F# G A B
Mixolydian	C mixolydian	1 2 3 4 5 6 b7	C D E F G A Bb
Natural minor	C natural minor	1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7	C D Eb F G Ab Bb
Aeolian	C aeolian	1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7	C D Eb F G Ab Bb
Locrian	C locrian	1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7	C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb
Harmonic minor	C harmonic minor	1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7	C D Eb F G Ab B
Melodic minor (ascending)	C melodic minor (ascending)	1 2 b3 4 5 6 7	C D Eb F G A B
Major pentatonic	C major pentatonic	1 2 3 5 6	C D E G A
Minor pentatonic	C minor pentatonic	1 b3 4 5 b7	C Eb F G Bb
Blues scale	C blues scale	1 b3 4 b5 5 b7	C Eb F Gb G Bb
Phrygian dominant	C phrygian dominant	1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7	C Db E F G Ab Bb
Lydian dominant	C lydian dominant	1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7	C D E F# G A Bb
Whole tone	C whole tone	1 2 3 #4 #5 b7	C D E F# G# A#
Diminished (half-whole)	C diminished (half-whole)	1 b2 b3 3 #4 5 6 b7	C Db Eb E F# G A Bb
Diminished (whole-half)	C diminished (whole-half)	1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 6 7	C D Eb F Gb Ab A B
Chromatic	C chromatic	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12	C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

Scale

Page

Degrees

Notes

Major

C major

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

C D E F G A B

Ionian

C ionian

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

C D E F G A B

Dorian

C dorian

1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7

C D Eb F G A Bb

Phrygian

C phrygian

1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

C Db Eb F G Ab Bb

Lydian

C lydian

1 2 3 #4 5 6 7

C D E F# G A B

Mixolydian

C mixolydian

1 2 3 4 5 6 b7

C D E F G A Bb

Natural minor

C natural minor

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

C D Eb F G Ab Bb

Aeolian

C aeolian

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

C D Eb F G Ab Bb

Locrian

C locrian

1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7

C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb

Harmonic minor

C harmonic minor

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7

C D Eb F G Ab B

Melodic minor (ascending)

C melodic minor (ascending)

1 2 b3 4 5 6 7

C D Eb F G A B

Major pentatonic

C major pentatonic

1 2 3 5 6

C D E G A

Minor pentatonic

C minor pentatonic

1 b3 4 5 b7

C Eb F G Bb

Blues scale

C blues scale

1 b3 4 b5 5 b7

C Eb F Gb G Bb

Phrygian dominant

C phrygian dominant

1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7

C Db E F G Ab Bb

Lydian dominant

C lydian dominant

1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7

C D E F# G A Bb

Whole tone

C whole tone

1 2 3 #4 #5 b7

C D E F# G# A#

Diminished (half-whole)

C diminished (half-whole)

1 b2 b3 3 #4 5 6 b7

C Db Eb E F# G A Bb

Diminished (whole-half)

C diminished (whole-half)

1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 6 7

C D Eb F Gb Ab A B

Chromatic

C chromatic

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

Chords on C

All twenty-three chord qualities on this site, set out on the same root.

Chord	Page	Degrees	Notes	Quality
C	C	1 3 5	C E G	Major
Cm	Cm	1 b3 5	C Eb G	Minor
Cdim	Cdim	1 b3 b5	C Eb Gb	Diminished
Caug	Caug	1 3 #5	C E G#	Augmented
Csus2	Csus2	1 2 5	C D G	Suspended second
Csus4	Csus4	1 4 5	C F G	Suspended fourth
Cmaj7	Cmaj7	1 3 5 7	C E G B	Major seventh
Cm7	Cm7	1 b3 5 b7	C Eb G Bb	Minor seventh
C7	C7	1 3 5 b7	C E G Bb	Dominant seventh
Cm7b5	Cm7b5	1 b3 b5 b7	C Eb Gb Bb	Half-diminished seventh
Cdim7	Cdim7	1 b3 b5 bb7	C Eb Gb Bbb	Diminished seventh
C6	C6	1 3 5 6	C E G A	Sixth
Cm6	Cm6	1 b3 5 6	C Eb G A	Minor sixth
Cadd9	Cadd9	1 9 3 5	C D E G	Added ninth
C9	C9	1 9 3 5 b7	C D E G Bb	Dominant ninth
Cm9	Cm9	1 9 b3 5 b7	C D Eb G Bb	Minor ninth
Cmaj9	Cmaj9	1 9 3 5 7	C D E G B	Major ninth
C11	C11	1 9 3 11 5 b7	C D E F G Bb	Dominant eleventh
Cm11	Cm11	1 9 b3 11 5 b7	C D Eb F G Bb	Minor eleventh
C13	C13	1 9 3 5 13 b7	C D E G A Bb	Dominant thirteenth
C7sus4	C7sus4	1 4 5 b7	C F G Bb	Dominant seventh suspended fourth
C7b5	C7b5	1 3 b5 b7	C E Gb Bb	Dominant seventh flat five
C7#9	C7#9	1 3 5 b7 #9	C E G Bb D#	Dominant seventh sharp nine

Chord

Page

Degrees

Notes

Quality

1 3 5

C E G

Major

1 b3 5

C Eb G

Minor

Cdim

1 b3 b5

C Eb Gb

Diminished

Caug

1 3 #5

C E G#

Augmented

Csus2

1 2 5

C D G

Suspended second

Csus4

1 4 5

C F G

Suspended fourth

Cmaj7

1 3 5 7

C E G B

Major seventh

Cm7

1 b3 5 b7

C Eb G Bb

Minor seventh

1 3 5 b7

C E G Bb

Dominant seventh

Cm7b5

1 b3 b5 b7

C Eb Gb Bb

Half-diminished seventh

Cdim7

1 b3 b5 bb7

C Eb Gb Bbb

Diminished seventh

1 3 5 6

C E G A

Sixth

Cm6

1 b3 5 6

C Eb G A

Minor sixth

Cadd9

1 9 3 5

C D E G

Added ninth

1 9 3 5 b7

C D E G Bb

Dominant ninth

Cm9

1 9 b3 5 b7

C D Eb G Bb

Minor ninth

Cmaj9

1 9 3 5 7

C D E G B

Major ninth

C11

1 9 3 11 5 b7

C D E F G Bb

Dominant eleventh

Cm11

1 9 b3 11 5 b7

C D Eb F G Bb

Minor eleventh

C13

1 9 3 5 13 b7

C D E G A Bb

Dominant thirteenth

C7sus4

1 4 5 b7

C F G Bb

Dominant seventh suspended fourth

C7b5

1 3 b5 b7

C E Gb Bb

Dominant seventh flat five

C7#9

1 3 5 b7 #9

C E G Bb D#

Dominant seventh sharp nine

Fretboard maps

Map	Page	Contents
C major	note map	every position to fret 22 as note names
C degrees	degree map	the same positions as degrees of the major and natural minor scales
All keys	index	the twelve key maps and the chromatic reference

Map

Page

Contents

C major

note map

every position to fret 22 as note names

C degrees

degree map

the same positions as degrees of the major and natural minor scales

All keys

index

the twelve key maps and the chromatic reference

Related keys

RelativeKey of Ashares every note with C
ParallelC natural minorthe same tonic, a different third, sixth and seventh
DominantKey of Ga fifth above C; its tonic chord is the dominant of this key
SubdominantKey of Fa fourth above C; its tonic chord is the fourth chord of this key
CircleCircle of fifthswhere C sits relative to the other eleven keys
SignatureKey signaturesthe accidentals of every key, including the enharmonic spellings
CapoCapo charthow to reach C with open shapes

All twelve keys: C · C# · D · Eb · E · F · F# · G · Ab · A · Bb · B

ScaleC major7 notes · 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
ScaleC natural minor7 notes · 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Neck mapC — note mapC major · frets 0–22 · C D E F G A B
DegreesC — degree mapC major and natural minor · frets 0–22
ChordC — Major1 3 5 · C E G
ChordCm7 — Minor seventh1 b3 5 b7 · C Eb G Bb
KeyKey of AA B C# D E F# G# · A major / F# minor
HubScales and modes12 roots × 20 scales
HubChords12 roots × 23 qualities
CapoCapo chart12 capo positions × 24 target keys

Section: Atlas · Theory Atlas