In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about the piano chords in the key of C# major. Let’s go!
What Chords Are in The C# Major Scale?
To find out what the chords are in the C# major scale, you first need to understand what notes are in the C# major scale. From here, you can then use those notes to find the chords using a formula we’ll explain further down.
The C# major scale consists of:
C#, D#, E#(F), F#, G#, A#, B#(C)
All the notes in this scale, have their own chord in the C# major chord scale. To find out what these chords are we can use that formula I spoke about above.
There are 2 common chord scale formulas, including:
Major: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished
Minor: minor, diminished, major, minor, minor, major, major
Once you have the formula, you can work out the chords in the C# major scale, by using it at the correct scale degrees.
For instance:
- C# major
- D# major
- E# minor
- F# minor
- G# major
- A# major
- B# diminished
Notice how the formula above, gives you the chords you can play in the C# major scale.
If you’re able to play major, minor and diminished chords already, then you can play the triads like this, and this is your C# major chord scale. If you don’t know how to create chords yet, you’ll need to use chord spellings to figure out how to play these chords.
We’ll go over the common chord spellings you’ll need now:
- Major – 1, 3, 5
- Minor – 1, b3, 5
- Diminished – 1, b3, b5
To build a G# major chord, you’d use the G# major scale, then count the notes in the scale. So the 1, is the 1st note in the scale, the 3 is the 3rd note, and so on. Combining these 3 notes found from the 1, 3, 5 major spelling, you will end up with G#, D, C#.
If you want to build the A# minor, you would choose the A# major scale, then use the minor spelling (1, b3, 5). So the 1, is the 1st note in the scale, the b3 is the 3rd note of the scale, moved a semi-tone down, and the 5 is the 5th note in the scale.
Every-time you spell a chord you want you use the major scale, of the key it’s in.
- A# minor = A# major scale + minor chord spelling
- C# major = C# major scale + major chord spelling
You can also use all of these spellings in an easier way, using a “3”, instead of a “b3”, in the minor and diminished spellings, as long as you are using the major scale to build your major chords, and the minor to build your minor and diminished chords.
For instance:
- Minor spelling is now 1, 3, 5 instead of 1, b3, 5
- Instead of building from the major scale, you now use the minor instead
- A# minor chord = A# minor scale + 1, 3, 5 spelling, instead of A# minor chord = A# major scale + minor chord spelling (1, b3, 5)
Chords in The C# Major Scale
Above, are all of the chords in the C# major scale. You can use these in any order to make great-sounding chord progressions/chord melodies quickly. It’s all about trial and error, try switching different chords for one and other and see what you come up with. Then, hone further until you like what you hear.
You can also use chord progressions to get quicker results that already sound good.
Common Chord Progressions
To use chord progressions, all you have to do is plug them in using the Roman numerals as shown on the C# major chord scale diagram.
- Uppercase = major
- Lowercase = minor
- Numbers on the end = extensions (ii7, or V6, or iv9)
Here are some common chord progressions you can try out:
- ii, V, i
- I, IV, V
- I, V, vi, IV
- I, V, vi, iii
What Notes Are in The Chords of The C# Major Scale?
The notes in the chords of C# major are as follows:
- C sharp major- C#, E#(F), G#
- D sharp minor – D#, F#, A#
- E sharp minor – E#, G#, B#(C)
- F sharp major – F#, A#, C#
- G sharp major – G#, B#, D#
- A sharp minor – A#, C#, E#
- B sharp diminished – B#(C), D#, F#