C Major Scale, Chords & Songs

C major is where every pianist starts. No sharps, no flats — just the white keys. Its diatonic chords appear in thousands of pop and folk songs, making it the most fluent key for sight-reading and improvisation.

The C Major scale

The C Major scale contains seven notes: C – D – E – F – G – A – B. Key signature: no sharps or flats.

All notes in the C Major scale highlighted on the keyboard.

Diatonic chords in C Major

These seven chords are built on each scale degree. They're the natural chord palette for songs in C Major — most pop progressions like I-V-vi-IV use only these.

Roman	Chord	Quality	Open
I	C	Major	Learn C →
ii	Dm	Minor	Learn Dm →
iii	Em	Minor	Learn Em →
IV	F	Major	Learn F →
V	G	Major	Learn G →
vi	Am	Minor	Learn Am →
vii°	Bdim	Diminished	Learn Bdim →

Quick facts

Key signature: no sharps or flats
Relative minor: A minor
Difficulty on piano: Beginner — easiest key on piano (all white keys).
Songs in our catalog: 2,516 pieces

Popular songs in C Major

2,516 songs total — top picks below.

Browse all 2,516 songs in C Major →

Explore other keys

G Major D Major A Major E Major B Major F♯ Major F Major B♭ Major E♭ Major A♭ Major D♭ Major