How To Tell What Chords Are In A Key
Learn How To Tell What Chords Are In What Keys On The Guitar!
In this guitar lesson we are going to go over how to tell which guitar chords are in a given key. This can be really handy if you want to start learning songs by ear or even writing your own songs. In order to do this you need to know your key signatures. If you do not know how to find out the key signature of a given key, check out the lesson on How Key Signatures Work. We will be in the key of D major for this lesson.
Let’s start off by finding out which chords are in the key of D major. The D major scale is spelled 1D, 2E, 3F#, 4G, 5A, 6B, 7C#. In every major key there is a chord to go with each note of the major scale. Some of the chords are major, some are minor and one is diminished. There is a formula to find out which notes of the scale have major chords that go with them and which notes have minor chords that go with them. All you have to do is remember that the 1st 4th and 5th notes of the major scale have major chords to go with them and the 2nd 3rd and 6th notes of the major scale have minor chords that go with them. The 7th note of a major scale has what we call a diminished chord to go with it.
Here are the chords in the key of D major for an example.
1. D major
2. E minor
3. F# minor
4. G major
5. A major
6. B minor
7. C# diminished.
This formula always works for every major key. The hardest part of being able to know what chords are in certain keys is memorizing key signatures. Let’s write out the key of A just to solidify this concept for you. The A major scale is spelled 1A, 2B, 3C#, 4D, 5E, 6F#, 7G#. The 1st 4th and 5th of a major scale will be major chords, the 2nd 3rd and 6th will be minor chords, and the 7th will be diminished. With that in mind, here are the chords in the key of A major.
1. A major
2. B minor
3. C# minor
4. D major
5. E major
6. F# minor
7. G# diminished.
If you know what chords are in a certain key you will have a big advantage when you are trying to figure out or write a song. Of course there are other chords that will work that are not necessarily in the key that you are working in, but knowing which chords are in a key is a good place to start. Learning your key signatures takes quite a bit of effort for most musicians, but it is absolutely necessary if you want to be able to tell which chords are in a given key. There is no substitution for hard work and memorization.
Nice write up and very helpful. Thank You for putting it together.
been on your site about a week, wow !! thank you so much
i still dont completely understand the concept of the keys
Come to this site often to grab some advise. Been playing about a year and a half. Very informative.
You’re an amazing person.
excellent. may god bless you abundantly.
Awesome summary. Very easy to understand. Thanks.
Hey thanks so much for putting something like this up. I have had trouble with this since i first started learning the guitar. Your site here has helped me a lot. I would say its 10x easier learning from this verses the site jamplay. Keep up the awesome work man.
thanks for the lesson.
Nate, you’re the KING! I studied music in High School (I don’t even want to think about how long ago that was), but you have taught me a great deal about chords and keys that I never even thought about before. I ordered your course for beginner guitar. Figured it was the least I could do, even though you have so much information online that it will take me months to absorb it all. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.
very helpful, thanks so much. I new here but am learning as fast as my brain will allow.
is there a formula for finding the minor key signature
Yes, there is. (I had the same question) In the case of (natural)Amin, we have this
i Amin
ii(dim) Bdim
III CMajor
iv Dmin
v Emin
VI FMaj
VII GMaj
(Better minds please correct me if I’m wrong)
the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the major scale have minor chords to go with them and the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes of the minor scale have major chords that go with them. The 2nd is diminished. (as in Bdim in the key of Amin)
*correction*
the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the MINOR scale have minor chords to go with them and the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes of the minor scale have major chords that go with them. The 2nd is diminished. (as in Bdim in the key of Amin)
hi Nate,
your data was great again but I think I REALLY need to clear some confusions its like m studying some foreign book when I don’t know the language used in it.For example what is the difference between a note and a chord?and what are scales???also r these rules applicable in acoustic guitars???Please reply asap.
do keys and strings mean the same thing????