major] [ C Ionian ] [ Dorian mode ]
[ Phrygian mode ] [ Lydian mode ]
[ Mixolydian Mode ] [ Aeolian mode ]
[ Locrian mode ]
Key of C major and the modes. C major or Ionian mode
In this lesson I would like to explain the key of C Major, the
guitar modes and the chords that
make up the major scale. The key of C major has no
flats. If you were sitting at the
piano, it would be all the white keys. The black keys on the piano are the
sharps and flats that make up other keys.
The A minor pentatonic scale you have learned comes right out of the Aeolian
mode, which is the 6th mode in the key of C
Major. Once you learn the key of C Major and all the guitar modes in the major
key, you can use the same fingering patterns
to play the major scale in other keys. Just like the A minor pentatonic scale you have learned
in the previous lessons. Learning the C Major
scale and modes are very important.
The image below shows all the notes in the key of C Major.
Remember the notes that made up
the A minor pentatonic scale were A, C,
D, E and G.
Now it's time to add two more notes. These notes will be the F and
In our lessons each note was given a color.
We will use the image above for a while to become familiar with the Key of C
Major and the different notes of this key.
All Major keys are made up of 7 notes or seven modes. Look at the image above and notice
that there are 7 notes. These notes
are C, D,
E, F, G, A, B, C
The Chords that make up all
Major Keys are always, Major, minor, minor,
Major, Major, minor, diminished and Major.
So in the key of C, the chords would be.
C Major, D
minor, E minor, F
Major, G Major, A
minor, B diminished, C Major.
For Example the C chord is
made up of the notes: C, E,
Notice the two open strings to the right.
Those two open strings are the G and
E notes. These open strings
can be strummed along with the other notes to play the C chord.
Look at the illustration below. Notice how there are 3 notes per section. These
3 notes make up each chord in the key of C major. Look at the C below and notice the 3 notes in the C
section. The notes are C E
G. These are the notes in the C chord.
Look at the box to the right below and you will see each chord and the notes of
that chord. If you wrote your song using these chords you would be playing in
the key of C major.
Major chord C E G
chord D F A
chord E G B
F Major chord F A C
G Major chord G B D
Am chord A C
B D F
The image I've designed above is for a quick reference
to what notes and chords are in the Key of C. This illustration above can tell
you the notes that make up each chord with just one glance.
So now you have learned that there are 7 notes in the Major key.
Major key is made up of the Major, minor, minor, Major,
Major, minor, diminished chords.
For the key of C the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
Later we will learn why these chords make up the Major scale,
but I would like to show you the fingering patterns first.
In the next lesson we will learn the fingering pattern for the