# Chord cheat-sheet (appendix)

Interactive version: [`chord-cheatsheet.html`](chord-cheatsheet.html). Part of [Theory and Practice](theory.md).

The **harmonizing** idea, worked out for all twelve keys. *Harmonizing* a scale means building a
triad on each of its notes using only that scale's own notes — do that and every key hands you its
own family of **seven chords**. This page is the ready-made result: pick a key and grab its chords,
hear them, and see the common progressions they make. New to the idea? Start with
[Theory & Practice → Chords](theory.md).

> Harmonizing lines up one chord under each **scale degree** (1–7), and the qualities always land in
> the same pattern. In **major** it's **I ii iii IV V vi vii°** (major, minor, minor, major, major,
> minor, diminished) — identical in every key, so learn it once. The **I, IV and V** — the "primary"
> chords — carry most songs; **vi** is the relative minor.

## Diatonic chords — all twelve major keys

Listed around the [circle of fifths](circle-of-fifths.md) — C, G, D… then the flat keys. On the
interactive [chord-cheatsheet.html](chord-cheatsheet.html) every chord in this table is clickable —
tap any one to hear it.

| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|-----|---|----|----|----|---|----|------|
| C  | C  | Dm  | Em  | F  | G  | Am  | B°  |
| G  | G  | Am  | Bm  | C  | D  | Em  | F♯° |
| D  | D  | Em  | F♯m | G  | A  | Bm  | C♯° |
| A  | A  | Bm  | C♯m | D  | E  | F♯m | G♯° |
| E  | E  | F♯m | G♯m | A  | B  | C♯m | D♯° |
| B  | B  | C♯m | D♯m | E  | F♯ | G♯m | A♯° |
| F  | F  | Gm  | Am  | B♭ | C  | Dm  | E°  |
| B♭ | B♭ | Cm  | Dm  | E♭ | F  | Gm  | A°  |
| E♭ | E♭ | Fm  | Gm  | A♭ | B♭ | Cm  | D°  |
| A♭ | A♭ | B♭m | Cm  | D♭ | E♭ | Fm  | G°  |
| D♭ | D♭ | E♭m | Fm  | G♭ | A♭ | B♭m | C°  |
| G♭ | G♭ | A♭m | B♭m | C♭ | D♭ | E♭m | F°  |

## Diatonic chords — minor keys

Minor keys follow the pattern **i ii° III iv v VI VII**.

| Key | i | ii° | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|-----|---|-----|-----|----|---|----|-----|
| A minor | Am | B°  | C  | Dm | Em | F  | G  |
| E minor | Em | F♯° | G  | Am | Bm | C  | D  |
| D minor | Dm | E°  | F  | Gm | Am | B♭ | C  |

## Common progressions

These reuse the diatonic chords. Shown as Roman numerals so they work in **any** key — the
interactive page fills in the actual chord names for the key you pick.

| Progression | In C major | Where you hear it |
|-------------|-----------|-------------------|
| I – IV – V | C – F – G | the 3-chord backbone (rock, folk, blues) |
| I – V – vi – IV | C – G – Am – F | the "4-chord pop song" |
| I – vi – IV – V | C – Am – F – G | 50s doo-wop / ballads |
| vi – IV – I – V | Am – F – C – G | emotional pop / singer-songwriter |
| ii – V – I | Dm – G – C | the jazz cadence |
| 12-bar blues | C·C·C·C · F·F·C·C · G·F·C·G | blues & early rock'n'roll |

## How to use it

- **Start with I–IV–V** — three major chords that harmonize thousands of songs. Add **vi**
  for the famous four-chord pop sound.
- **Capital = major, lowercase = minor, ° = diminished.** The vii° is rarely played as-is;
  it usually acts as a softer stand-in for V.
- **Find the key of a song** by which chords appear — C, F, G, Am ⇒ almost certainly C major.
- **Relative minor:** every major key shares its chords with the minor key starting on its
  **vi** (C major ↔ A minor).
- Want fancier colors (7ths, 9ths, sus)? See the [chord types appendix](chord-types.md).
  Curious *why* the qualities line up this way? That's the [modes](modes.md).