Piano Chords by Key

Choosing root C in the chord chart finds chords built on C, such as C major and C minor. Choosing the key of C major here lists triads built on each degree of the C major scale.

The prepared tables cover C, G, D, A, E and F major, plus D minor. They show a deliberately limited set of keys rather than a claim to every scale, mode or borrowed chord.

A degree number locates a chord’s root within the selected scale. Uppercase Roman numerals mark major triads, lowercase ones mark minor triads, and a diminished marker identifies the diminished triad.

In a major key the diatonic triad pattern is I–ii–iii–IV–V–vi–vii°. The note spelling changes with the key, so copying only a row’s white-key shape is not a transposition method.

The C-major triads are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and B diminished. Their chord tones come from C, D, E, F, G, A and B. A row for B diminished belongs in this table even though the current major/minor detail template cannot render it as a full object page.

A table row may therefore be a complete written reference without having a dedicated detail link. Keep the row visible and only provide a link when the requested detail actually exists.

D natural minor uses D, E, F, G, A, B-flat and C. Its diatonic triads are Dm, E diminished, F, Gm, Am, B-flat and C.

Minor-key music can raise C to C-sharp. That change makes A major available as V and C-sharp diminished as a leading-tone triad. Show these as raised-leading-tone alternatives rather than replacing the natural-minor row without explanation.

Take a scale degree as the root, then select the third and fifth scale notes above it, cycling through the same scale. Preserve each note’s spelling and compare the intervals to identify the quality.

For example, the chord on E in C major uses E–G–B, so it is minor. In E major, the chord on E uses E–G-sharp–B, so it is major. The letter E alone does not determine the quality.

Choose I–V–vi–IV in C major to obtain C–G–Am–F. Choosing the same degrees in A major gives A–E–F-sharp minor–D. These are applications of the same harmonic pattern, not the same pitches.

A key table tells you which chords belong to the stated scale collection. It does not identify a whole song’s key from a single chord or prohibit chords borrowed from elsewhere.