Finding The Chords In Major Keys

Hey it's Justin and Lee back for another Rut Busters! In this episode, we dig deeper into how to find the chords in a key using the guitar. If you've struggled with chords in the key, this lesson could finally unlock that door for you. :)

Quick Trick For Identifying Chords In A Key

This is a fast way to use the guitar to identify keys and the chords they contain. Remember, in a Major key, there are three Major chords, three minor chords, and a diminished chord, which nobody uses! These are called the diatonic chords.

This trick works when the root note of the scale is on string 6. And it leads us right to our first chord. This note is the root of the I chord, a Major chord.

💡Master Chords In A Key: Check out this lesson on Diatonic Chords!

Now, play the note at the same fret on the next string. That’s the root of the IV chord, which is also Major. Another two frets up on that string, you’ll find the root note of the other Major chord, the V chord. So the I, IV and V chords in a key, the Major chords, fall into a neat L-shaped pattern.

As for the minors, we can find the root of the II chord two frets up from our starting point. The root of the III chord is two up from that. Finally, the root of the VI chord is on string 5 at the same fret as the III chord. Notice the minors form their own L shape!

Overall, we have this cool visual pattern:

💡Outside The Box: Many songs use chords that aren't diatonic. Often there’s one chord that isn’t in the home key.

Use This Pattern To Figure Out Chords In A Key

Now, try to use this pattern to figure out the chords in the key of F Major. Hint: the note F is at fret 1 (or fret 13) on string 6. The answer is at the very bottom!

Jamming Exercise: You can now use the chords in the key of F to jam! Get together with a friend, or use a looper. Play chords in the key of F and solo over the top, using Pattern 1 of the Major Scale.

Using This Pattern To Figure Out The Key

If we know only some of the chords in the key, we can use this pattern to figure out the key we’re in. We don’t even need to know the note names. Grab a pencil and paper – here are some key-related exercises to test yourself! Find the answers at the very bottom. :)

1) A song has a Major chord with its root at string 5, fret 2, and another at string 5, fret 4. Which key is it in?

2) Another has a minor chord rooted on string 6, fret 5 and one rooted on string 6, fret 7. Which key is this one in?

3) Finally, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door uses the chords G, D, C, and Am. What key is it in? Find the answers at the bottom!

💡Major Scale In Depth: Learn how to build Major Scales with my lesson on Major Scale Construction.

IV and V Chord Trick

Take a look at all the pairs of Major chords we’ve found so far. In the key of G, the IV and V are C and D Major. In F, they’re Bb and C. In A, they’re D and E. Do you see a pattern?

The IV and V chords are always, always a tone apart! So if we find two Major chords in a song that are a tone apart, they have to be the IV and V. Knowing this, we can then figure out the home key. If they’re rooted on string 5, use the pattern above to find the home key.

Other Tricks

If you find a minor chord with a Major chord rooted one semitone above it, those have to be chords III and IV. And if you have two minor chords with roots one tone apart, those have to be chords II and III.

Warning: If you only know two Major chords that aren’t a tone apart, you can’t immediately find the key. When choosing the correct scale to use for improvising, use your ear. If it sounds good, it is good.

Homework!

Find a heap of tunes you love and figure out what key they’re in. :) Can you find ones that use diatonic chords throughout? Are there any that have a chord outside the key?

Master Guitar Theory And Ignite Your Guitar Potential With My Ultra-Popular Practical Music Theory Course.

The Gear

Justin's Guitar: Freidman Tele
Lee's Guitar: Fender Tele

Justin's Amp: Fender Deluxe
Lee's Amp: Victory

About This Series

This video lives on the JustinGuitar YouTube Channel – this series alternates between my channel and the Anderton's channel.

Anderton's Music
Anderton's is my local music store in Guildford (UK) and I got in touch with Lee to throw around some ideas for collaboration. It's a cool store and I buy most of my stuff there :) Big thanks also to Danish Pete for his editing expertise and fun hangs!

Answers

Chords in key of F: F, Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm (and E dim)

The note f is on string 5 at fret 1 (or fret 13 ;) ), meaning the Major chords are rooted on frets 1 and 3 of string 5, so they are Bb and C.

The II chord is rooted at fret 3 of string 6 (Gm), the III chord is rooted at fret 5 of string 6 (Am), and the VI chord is rooted at fret 5 of string 5 (Dm).

F# Major: the root of the I chord has to be at fret 2 of string 6, meaning F# is the root note of the key.
G Major: the root of the I chord has to be at fret 3 of string 6, making G the root note of the key.
Knockin' on Heaven's Door is in the key of G. Notice that C and D are two Major chords one tone apart, so they are the IV and V chords of the key. The note c is found at fret 3 on string 5. So the root note of the key is found at fret 3 on string 6, which is the note g. So it's in the key of G!