SCALE REFERENCE

C Major

C – D – E – F – G – A – B1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The reference scale of Western music — bright, resolved, and the yardstick every other scale is described against.

Notes & degrees
C1D2E3F4G5A6B7
NotesC, D, E, F, G, A, B
StepsW – W – H – W – W – W – H (W = whole, H = half)
Also calledIonian
Piano
CDEFGAB
Guitar & ukulele — every position (frets 0–12)
357912eEFGABCDEBBCDEFGABGGABCDEFGDDEFGABCDAABCDEFGAEEFGABCDE

Root notes are red. The full map of the scale on the guitar neck; the common box patterns are groups of these notes.

357912AABCDEFGAEEFGABCDECCDEFGABCGGABCDEFG

The same scale on a ukulele in standard G–C–E–A tuning.

Chords in the key
DegreeTriad7th chord
ICCmaj7
iiDmDm7
iiiEmEm7
IVFFmaj7
VGG7
viAmAm7
vii°BdimBm7♭5

These are the chords built by stacking scale notes in thirds. Click through for each chord's own diagrams:

ICiiDmiiiEmIVFVGviAmvii°Bdim
Common progressions in C major

I – V – vi – IV

C – G – Am – F

I – IV – V

C – F – G

ii – V – I

Dm – G – C

vi – IV – I – V

Am – F – C – G

Hear these and thousands of real songs that use them in the Song Chords Database and the progressions reference.

Related keys
Relative minorA minorParallel minorC minor
Other scales on C

Core scales & modes

C Natural MinorC Harmonic MinorC Melodic MinorC DorianC PhrygianC LydianC MixolydianC Locrian

Pentatonic & blues

C Major PentatonicC Minor PentatonicC BluesC Major Blues

Jazz & altered

C Harmonic MajorC Phrygian DominantC Lydian DominantC AlteredC Bebop Dominant

Symmetric

C Whole ToneC Diminished (Whole–Half)C Diminished (Half–Whole)C Augmented Scale

World & exotic

C Hungarian MinorC Double Harmonic MajorC Neapolitan Minor
Major on another root
CC♯D♭DE♭EFF♯G♭GA♭AB♭B
Keep exploring

See the diatonic chords with audio in the Scale & Chord Finder, find where a key sits among the others on the Circle of Fifths, or start the free Cloud Atelier music guides.