Part Two

        The 6 Most Common Chords In Any Key

            Practice Guide - Issue 7 - Key of C Major

In Part 1 of Issue 7, we figured out the I, V and IV chords, which are the C, G and F major chords.

C major scale: C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F - G 

If you refer to the scale directly above, the next 3 chords will be built on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th notes of the scale and are all minor chords.

The ii Chord

The second note of the C major scale is a D, which is the root note of the ii chord. I'm using the lower case roman numeral to indicate that the chord is minor.

  • If you start on the D and go every other note, the remaining two notes of the Dm chord are F and A.

The iii Chord

The third note of the C major scale is an E, which is the root note of the
iii chord.

  • If you start on the E and go every other note, the remaining two notes of the Em chord are G and B.

The vi Chord

The sixth note of the C major scale is an A, which is the root note of the
vi chord.

If you start on the A and go every other note in the scale, the remaining two notes of the Am chord are C and E.


The 6 Most Common Chords In C Major

C Major: C - E - G

G Major: G - B - D

F Major: F - A - C

Am: A - C - E

Em: E - G - B

Dm: D - F - A

Eventually, you'll come across songs that have more than 6 chords. This is when it helps to know a few substitution chords, but this is something I cover in greater detail in my Piano Super Course.

However, knowing the 6 most common chords in any key is a great starting point, and will make the hardest part of learning songs by ear a whole lot easier.

Practice Guide - Issue #8 - Key of G Major

In the next issue I'll be covering the 6 most common chords in the key of G major, which is a very common key.