The 7 chords
F · Gm · Am · B♭ · C · Dm · Edim
Every major key follows the same pattern: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished.
Chord chart
F Major chord chart
| Degree | Numeral | Chord | Notes | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | F | F – A – C | Fmaj7 | Tonic |
| 2 | ii | Gm | G – B♭ – D | Gm7 | Supertonic |
| 3 | iii | Am | A – C – E | Am7 | Mediant |
| 4 | IV | B♭ | B♭ – D – F | B♭maj7 | Subdominant |
| 5 | V | C | C – E – G | C7 | Dominant |
| 6 | vi | Dm | D – F – A | Dm7 | Submediant |
| 7 | vii° | Edim | E – G – B♭ | Em7b5 | Leading tone |
F major scale: F – G – A – B♭ – C – D – E. Key signature: 1 flat (B♭).
Progressions
Common chord progressions in F Major
The pop progression
I – V – vi – IV
- IF
- VC
- viDm
- IVB♭
The four-chord loop behind a huge share of modern pop, rock and worship songs.
Three-chord progression
I – IV – V – I
- IF
- IVB♭
- VC
- IF
The three primary chords, I, IV and V — the backbone of blues, folk, country and early rock and roll.
Minor-start loop
vi – IV – I – V
- viDm
- IVB♭
- IF
- VC
The pop progression started on the vi. Same four chords, but opening on the minor chord makes the loop sound darker.
50s progression
I – vi – IV – V
- IF
- viDm
- IVB♭
- VC
The doo-wop progression of 1950s ballads, and still one of the most common loops in songwriting.
ii – V – I
ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- ii7Gm7
- V7C7
- Imaj7Fmaj7
The jazz cadence, played with 7th chords as it almost always is. The single most common move in jazz standards.
Canon progression
I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V
- IF
- VC
- viDm
- iiiAm
- IVB♭
- IF
- IVB♭
- VC
The eight-chord sequence of Pachelbel's Canon, borrowed by countless pop songs since.
Want more? Generate a progression in F Major by style, or build your own in the Chord Progression Player.
7th chords
7th chords in the key of F Major
Add the next note of the scale on top of each chord and you get its diatonic 7th chord — the sound of jazz, soul and R&B in F major.
On guitar
Playing in F Major on guitar
3 of the 7 chords are open chords (Am, C, Dm); F, Gm, B♭, Edim need a barre or a moveable shape. A capo lets you swap those for open shapes:
Capo 5 + C major shapes
Finger C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim — they sound as F, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm, Edim. 5 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the C major chordsCapo 3 + D major shapes
Finger D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm, C#dim — they sound as F, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm, Edim. 4 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the D major chords
Scales for soloing in F Major
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The key of F major has seven chords: F, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm and Edim. Each is built from the notes of the F major scale (F G A B♭ C D E), so all seven share one key signature: 1 flat (B♭).
F, B♭ and C — the I, IV and V chords. Those three contain every note of the F major scale between them, which is why so many songs in F major use little else.
D minor. It uses the same seven chords and the same key signature as F major; the difference is which chord feels like home. A song that keeps returning to Dm is in D minor; one that settles on F is in F major.
1 flat (B♭). F major shares its key signature with its relative minor, D minor.
C, the V chord. Its 7th chord, C7, is the only dominant 7th in the key, and C7 → F is the strongest way to end a song in F major.
Fmaj7, Gm7, Am7, B♭maj7, C7, Dm7 and Em7b5. Each adds the next note of the scale on top of the triad, which gives two major 7ths, three minor 7ths, one dominant 7th and one half-diminished (m7♭5).
Stacking the scale notes on E gives E, G, B♭: a minor 3rd and then another minor 3rd, so the 5th is flattened. It is the least-used chord in the key — songs often skip it, or use C7 where it would go.
Use a capo. Only 3 of the 7 chords in F major are open chords, but with a capo on fret 5 you can play C major shapes (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and Bdim) and they sound in F major. 5 of those shapes are open chords.
Related Tools
Circle of FifthsSee every key, its relative minor and its neighbours on one wheelKey FinderPaste a progression and detect its key with Roman numeral analysisChord Progression GeneratorPick a key and style to generate a diatonic progressionCapo CalculatorFind the capo position to play any key with open shapes