Basic Chord Theory
Chord FamiliesHow Chords Work Together
Of more relevance to the guitar player are Chord Families, or what chords go together in the different keys. Looking again at the C major scale, with the numbered notes we have:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C D E F G A B C
Each note can represent a specific chord in the key of C. For instance, the first note ‘C’ represents the first chord C (major). The fourth note ‘F’ represents the fourth chord F (major). Some of the numbered notes represent major chords, some minor, but the seventh represents a ‘diminished’ chord. Look at this chart of Chords for the Key of C:
I ii iii IV V vi vii(dim)
C Dm Em F G Am Bdim
Notice that for chords, we typically switch our numbers to Roman Numerals: uppercase for major chords, lower case for minor chords. So we see that the major chords in the key of C are chords (I, IV and V): C, F, and G. The minor chords (ii, iii, and vi) are: Dm, Em, and Am. From this point on I will omit the seventh chord, the diminished chord. I call this the C Chord Family.
For the key of G (and any other key) we can apply the same approach to find our major and minor chords:
I ii iii IV V vi vii(dim)
G Am Bm C D Em F#dim
Thus the G Chord Family comprises these major chords (I, IV and V): G, C, and D. And these minor chords (ii, iii, and vi): Am, Bm, and Em. For a full chart of these Chord Families, click here: Chord Families. Look at the graphics below that show common chord families that beginning guitarists use (click to enlarge – or click the link below for a pdf version of this chart).
Click here to download a PDF version of the above diagram: Chord Family Diagrams
Nashville Number System
One important note to make here is the Nashville Number System. The Nashville Number System does away with Roman Numerals and uses regular numbers to represent chords. This makes it easy when chording a song according to the numbers rather than to a specific key, which is sometimes useful if you know the song may be transposed in the future.
In the key of G a 1-5-6-4 progression would be G-D-Em-C. We know that the 6 chord is minor. If, however a minor chord is instead to be played as a major we can notate it with a capital ‘M’ besides.
Chord Families PDF
Chord Chart PDF
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- Slash Chords | Guitar Chord Theory - [...] -/2 chord is often built off of the IV chord (see Chord Families) and can be written as IV/2…
How about patience – Guns N’ Roses? There is C G and A chord
We do sometimes color songs differently by adding notes and/or chords that are outside the chord family. This song is technically considered in the key of G because it has G C D and Em of the G chord family, with the 2nd chord Am changed to a major.
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after looking at many of the posts
I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly happy
I came across it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back
frequently!
Hello my nam is akash. Will someone post the sharp major families chords. Please i need it.
If you look at the chord families, A# = Bb, C# = Db, D# = Eb, F# = Gb, G# = Ab… I hope this helps.
I liked
your
page
david
Hello sir,
Thank you so much for families chords information.
Can you help me in playing barre chords, I would very different to play Barre chords?
Are you interested in some Skype lessons to help with barre chords?
Hello sir
Yes I need help in that!
Please view this page for the procedure in setting up Skype lessons: guitar.davidsouthwick.net/miscellaneous-2/set-up-a-skype-chat/
Hello sir! I just wanted to make sure if the I, IV and V chords are always the major chords or if it’s just for the C and G keys please? Thanks a lot! 🙂
The I, IV and V chords of any key are the major chords. There are times in the context of a song, that a composer may change one of them to a minor, but normally this is not done.
sir i have a question that what is the meaning of diminished as u said in cmajor key that b is diminished and whether they are included in the chord families or not
The 7th chord is diminished in any key, and would technically be in the chord family. I do not include it, however, because it is not commonly used in American pop, rock, country or worship music.
hi sir,i have a question that what is the meaning of diminished as you said in the c major key that the b is diminished and whether they are included in the chord families or not
It is in the chord family. However, most of the pop, rock, country and worship music played today doesn’t use them, so I don’t talk about them much, but they are very much a part of the chord family.
In minor family, why we used major chrods
Any key or chord family will use a combination of major and minor chords.
How to memorize the freatboard any ideas??
Sorry… I am so late in responding! This is how I’ve learned the fretboard: I’ve incorporated barre chords (and power chords) into my playing repertoire, and learning the E shape and A shape barres gives me practically everything I need. If I know where the notes are on either of the E6 or A5 strings, I have 83% of the fretboard down. Notes on E6 string have their octave (same note name, next higher register) two frets up on the D4 string. Notes on the A5 string have their octave two frets up on the G3 string. (Notice the pattern???) The B2 string is our anomaly, because the interval between the G3 and B2, compared to all the other strings is different by one half step. Therefore, the notes on the D4 string have their octave notes on three frets up on the B2. The E1 string has the same note names as the notes on the E6 string. Let me know if this helps.
You`re amazing! This help me stop memorizing what comes next and what the major and minor keys are. God bless you. Now I can sing and play on my own without a guitarist… 😀
Hi.. Thanks for simple teaching about the major chords.. as of now i really understand the purpose of each chords and i know how to combine without confusing what are the next chords can i apply.. THANKS & GOD BLESS..
Thank u, thanks a lot a awesome explanation of chord family information. One again thank u very much. Could u tell me the all minor family chords? Plz
Minor family chords. Basically, the easy way I think about it, is the 1st chord and the 6th chord of a major chord family are relative chords. Thus the G major chord family is the same as the Em chord family, C and Am, D and Bm, A and F#m, etc… There are some nuances as there is a natural minor scale (using the above examples), a melodic minor and a harmonic minor scale. Thus you will find frequent changes in a minor key that don’t exactly follow minor chord families. But this would get you off to a good start.
How can I formed miner scale chord group as like major chord group?. In Em family chord group A & Am both are available where as in major chord group it is not happen.
Basically, we are looking at the major and minor chords in the Natural minor chord family. There are other minor scales (melodic, harmonic, etc).
How G major chord group and Em group chord are same?
They are relative chords and share the same chords. The key of G and the key of Em share the same key signature. There are however different minor scales that can change which chords and phrasings are used in a particular song.
Getting back into writing and playing again after about a decade, need to relearn a few things again. This really helped a lot :-). Thanks for an excellent blog. Enjoy
Thanks for the kind words.
Just what I was looking for
Hi! Sir what are those family under the A
.thanks
A Bm C#m D E F#m G
A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#(Dim)
Hi! Im a begginer of guitar n i was confuse about the family of AB C D E G can I have the formula plz
A major scale is A B C# D E F# G# A. The major chords in this key are A, D and E. The minor chords are Bm, C#m and F#m.
Thanks! David
Thanks for the patience’s reply Sir David..but want I want to know is what are the family belongs/under A,B,C,D,E,G thank u once again n God Blessed
Ok, sorry I misunderstood. The scale that you mention is the A natural minor scale which is the same as the key of C. Your chords are Am, C, Dm, Em, F and G.
Thank you!! You really solved my problems 😀
Thank You for the chord family chart. As a self-taught guitarist with zero theory, it will allow me to pick out chord sequences more easily, as well as leading me to try chords I’ve never learned. I am going to try to learn theory on my own, because I can’t afford to pay for lessons. To be able to download gems like this chart for free is a great thing. A million thanks!
You’re welcome. Glad it’s a help. If you find yourself making instrument purchases or any other Amazon purchases, please consider checking out my store page. Thanks! David
Just want to say thanks . Pretty decent info. Needed to download for some aspiring guitarists coming of age . You were very helpful. Ill be keeping track of things hope you come up with some more good stuff. Let me know exactly where you are and what your in to at the time. Love my guitar and need all the help I can get . Thanks David.
Hi. I really enjoy your site, as a newcomer at “more theoretical” guitar aspects. I have a question, though : why on/in some scales (eg. D), the Fm chord is played one semitone/fret higher (F#m). I see that between E and F there is only one semitone so there might be a connetion but look at E scale : there is a G#m there. Maybe it’s because the F “changed” in F#. But why C# is also there? The main question is : why only in/on some scales these (but not only these) chords are played one fret up? Thanx.
In answer to your question, it has to do with the interval between chords (and notes) in a key. Between chords 1 and 2 there is a whole step (or 2 frets), between the 2 and 3 chords, a whole step, 3 and 4 a half, 5 and 6 a whole, 6 and 7 a whole, 7 and 8 a half. You can visualize it like this 1 w 2 w 3 h 4 w 5 w 6 w 7 h 8. If you also remember that the major chords are denoted by numbers 1, 4, and 5, the minors are 2, 3, and 6, this will help. Thus in the key of D, the 1 chord is D (major), the 2 is a whole step up and minor Em, the three is a whole step up and minor F#m, the 4 is half step up G (major), the 5 is a whole step up and major A, the 6 is a whole step up and minor Bm. This is why in the key of D, there is no Fm, but an F#m. Look at the major scales page on this site. Also look at this download for a quick reference (the numbers used are Roman Numerals): Chords in all the major keys.
Sir I want to know the relation of all chords bcoz I ma new comer in my band team I dont no the relation of chords send me every relation if my band says the song is in cminor but wat is the next step I dont no I still remain in c minor sir plz help me
Thanks for your question. Sorry for the delay in my response. Download the following chart: Chord Families. If you are in a major key, it is obvious. However, for minor keys, look at the chord in the 6th column (vi). The 6th minor is the relative minor. G and Em are the same keys. D and Bm, E & C#m, Eb & Cm, etc. One thing to keep in mind, when you are playing in minor keys, the rules become more fluid, as there are different minor scales which I do NOT address on this website: the natural minor scale, the harmonic scale, and the melodic minor. You can read about them here.
David if i am to add to your comment, which regards to the intervals. A quick formular my guitar tutor gave regarding this was; E and B do not have a corresponding Sharp (#) and so its a half note to following note. for example E is followed by F, and so following the rule the space between E and F is half note (semi-tone) and is reflected on the guitar fret. The same logic is followed for B. I hope this helps. Thanks David for all your work.
Thanks Ken.
For real thanx 🙂 trying to create a song “Tears” an original from yours truly.
From: Philippnes
You’re Welcome!
How about those chords like A2, D2 and so many chords with different numbers how would I transpose them.?
Sorry for the Delayed response. I’m not sure I understand your question, however, you might find an explanation for Chord Formulas (chords with different numbers) on this page. This page explains how the numbers work for each chord.
If you are transposing from one key to another, disregard the number with the chord, transpose to the new key, and re-affix the number to the chord. For example, you’re playing a C2 in the key of G and you want to transpose to the key of A. C is the IV chord in the key of G, and D is the IV chord in the key of A. So C2 (in key of G) would be transposed to a D2 (in key of A).
Does this answer your question?
Awesome blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option?
There are so many choices out there that I’m completely confused ..
Any recommendations? Thanks a lot!
I actually offer web hosting services and run my site off of my own domain. But I have used WordPress’ free site years ago. Not a bad choice for free.
Also, I have taught in the past in a song writers course and have done a song writers workshop at a local music festival. If you’re seriously interested in some tips, let me know.
100 times thank you so much Sir.
you unlock the crazy theory of family chords. ^_^
Thank you for making this website, it helps me a lot.
Kenechi Tao : From Philippines
May God Bless you!
I am ao gladthis hasbeen a help!
Hi, Thanks for the info. I ve been playing traditional guitar for almost a decade. But i didnt have time for theory and notes even at music classes at school. Basically this helped me to realize what i’ve been doing since day one. Regards
I’m glad this information is a help. Let me know if you have any questions.
Good to learn family chord.
Tnx for giving information about the family chords..`
i could now memories all family chords to use it for “kapa” in the philippines..
hello David how are you doing?… i just got so much confused and i have no one to ask this question ,, i was studying about the c chord family and other octave chords families .. and i am stuck somewhere in the middle. i need to ask some questions and i think your the best for those questions . first i need to know if the song is an E key or G key or C key.. all the chords should be of the same Key family for example, the song is in the key of D so all the chords will be from D family? .. and if the person is using some chords from other families too is it wrong or its just the way it is.. chords families are just for knowledge they dont play an important role while playing?
Dear Sir,
Please I need all family chords please help me.
i really like your website, i hope that this information that i got will help me in studying guitar…
thank you,
it helped me…
nice family cord chart…..
thanks for fammilies chord
In many songs such as bon jovi – all about lovin’ you, they didn’t follow the rule of relative chord. Why? Is there other rule of chord progression?
Maybe I’m wrong, but any rule of the relative os simply the relationship between a major chord and its relative minor. Basically, any major chord’s realtive minor is always one and a half steps lower. Em is one and a half steps lower than G, Bm is to D, Am is to C, etc. There is no rule to how they amy appear together in a song. There are many, many chord progressions. In the future, I hope to highlight many other popular chord progressions.
Thank you for checking out my site.
tnx budy…it helped me
I’m not sure I’m understanding your question here. If I understand your question, this would be better understood under the ‘Chord Formulas’ page. The 6th chords have the following formula: 1,3,5,6. Thus a C6 would be comprised of notes C,E,G,A (x32210). The G6 would be G,B,D,E (320030). The 7th chords have the formula: 1,3,5,b7. So a C7 is C,E,G,Bb (x32310) and the G7 is G,B,D,F (320001).
A 9th chord has this formula: 1,3,5,b7,9. The 9 is the same as a 2 and the octave really isn’t relevant. So as long as you are adding the 9th or 2nd note to a 7th chord, really you are playing a 9th chord. C9 = C,D,E,G,Bb (x32330) and G9 = G,A,B,D,F (3×0201).
See the chord formulas page for more info.
Is the family chord rule same for 6,7th and 9th cords?
I found this very helpfull,as a relative beginner unless just foooling around have been trying to work out just what chords do actually sound good together. Many thanks
Hi Jeril,
Thanks. Yes I am showing keys built off the major scale. As far as minor keys, the way I generally think about it is that the vi chord (the relative minor) of a major key shares the same key signature as the I of that key. In other words, G (I) and Em (vi) share the same key note signature: “one sharp”. So Em shares the same chords as G. D and Bm are the same keys, C and Am, Eb and Cm, F and Dm, etc. So they will share the same chords, because they are generally the same chord family.
Traditionally, minor keys will be built off the root note, thus Em will be the scale: E F# G A B C D E, and we can build the chords off of that minor scale. And between the 1 and 2 will be a whole step, the 2 and 3 a half, etc. If you like it better, there is a half step between the 2 and 3 notes, and the 5 and 6 notes. Also, we would have a chord structure like this: i, iidim, III, iv, v, VI, and VII, where the lower case roman numerals are minors (the ii being diminished) and the upper case being majors.
Thus, the key of Cm would be: Cm, Ddim, Eb, Fm, Gm, Ab, Bb.
A big HOWEVER here, there are different types of minor keys/scales. The one I’m referring to is the natural minor scale, and generally follows this rule. But many times even the natural minor will break the rules, and convert some of the minor chords in its family to majors or sevenths.
Let me know if this helps, or if you have any other questions.
David
Hi,
I really liked your webpage.
I have a doubt.
All the keys which you showed are for Major.
What about minor?
i.e. what are the related chords of Cm? or put it other way, what are the chords of a song in Cm?