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Chords in the key of E Major

The seven chords of E Major and the 7th chord on each, with the key signature and the keys closest to it.

Short answer

The key of E Major contains seven diatonic chords: E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B, C♯m, D♯°. They're built on each degree of the E Major scale.

Tonic
E
Key signature
4 sharps
Scale
E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯
Relative key
C♯ Natural Minor
Dominant
B
Parallel key
E Natural Minor

Diatonic chords in E Major

Build a triad on each note of the E Major scale and you get these seven chords. Add one more scale note on top and you get the 7th chord beside it.

DegreeTriad7th chordHear
IEEmaj7
iiF♯mF♯m7
iiiG♯mG♯m7
IVAAmaj7
VBB7
viC♯mC♯m7
vii°D♯°D♯m7♭5

Key signature of E Major

E Major has 4 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯. The signature at the start of each staff line makes those notes sharp all the way through, unless an accidental says otherwise.

Practise reading key signatures

E Major on the piano

Show:
E Major on the pianoEABEABC♯D♯F♯G♯C♯D♯F♯G♯E Major - E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D♯

Common progressions in E Major

The most popular chord progressions written in this key. Click any progression to hear it.

I–V–vi–IV in E major
EBC♯mA
I–IV–V in E major
EAB
ii–V–I in E major
F♯m7B7Emaj7
I–vi–IV–V in E major
EC♯mAB
I–IV–V–I in E major
EABE
I7–IV7–I7–V7 in E major
E7A7E7B7
vi–IV–I–V in E major
C♯mAEB
I7–I7–I7–I7–IV7–IV7–I7–I7–V7–IV7–I7–V7 in E major
E7E7E7E7A7A7E7E7B7A7E7B7

Related keys

The keys a song in E Major most often borrows chords from or moves to.

CGDAEBC♭F♯G♭D♭C♯A♭E♭B♭FAmEmBmF♯mC♯mG♯mA♭mD♯mE♭mB♭mA♯mFmCmGmDmMajorMinor
E Major is lit, with its relative key and the keys a fifth either side.

Questions people ask

What chords are in the key of E Major?
The key of E Major contains seven diatonic chords: E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B, C♯m, D♯°. They're built on each degree of the E Major scale.
How many sharps or flats are in E Major?
E Major has 4 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯. The signature at the start of each staff line makes those notes sharp all the way through, unless an accidental says otherwise.
What are the 7th chords in E Major?
Adding a seventh to each chord of E Major gives Emaj7, F♯m7, G♯m7, Amaj7, B7, C♯m7, D♯m7♭5.
What is the relative key of E Major?
It's C♯ Natural Minor. It uses exactly the same notes and key signature as E Major, but its music centres on C♯.
What are the most common progressions in E Major?
Pop and rock songs in E Major usually rely on I-V-vi-IV, I-IV-V and ii-V-I. Each appears in our progression library with audio.
Why do these chords sound good together?
Every chord in E Major is built using only notes from the E Major scale, so they share the same tonal center and naturally resolve to the I chord.
How do I transpose a song to E Major?
Use our free Chord Transposer, paste the original chords and shift them to E Major. The tool keeps the relationships between chords intact.

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