Chords in the Key of E Major
Every diatonic triad and seventh chord in E major, with the progressions built from them. Free. No sign-up.
Key facts
Diatonic triads
Seventh chords
Stack one more scale tone on each triad and you get the seventh chords — same key, more color.
| Degree | Chord | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Emaj7 | major 7th | E · G# · B · D# |
| ii7 | F#m7 | minor 7th | F# · A · C# · E |
| iii7 | G#m7 | minor 7th | G# · B · D# · F# |
| IVmaj7 | Amaj7 | major 7th | A · C# · E · G# |
| V7 | B7 | dominant 7th | B · D# · F# · A |
| vi7 | C#m7 | minor 7th | C# · E · G# · B |
| viiø7 | D#m7b5 | half-diminished | D# · F# · A · C# |
Common progressions in E major
I–V–vi–IV
E – B – C#m – A
The four-chord pop loop — a huge share of modern radio runs on it.
I–IV–V
E – A – B
The three-chord workhorse behind blues, folk, and early rock and roll.
ii–V–I
F#m – B – E
The jazz cadence — the strongest pull back home in the key.
I–vi–IV–V
E – C#m – A – B
The '50s doo-wop turnaround, still everywhere in ballads.
How the key of E major works
E Major carries four sharps (F#, C#, G# and D#). The scale runs E–F#–G#–A–B–C#–D#, and stacking every other note of that scale builds the seven chords above — every chord tone comes from those same seven notes.
C# Minor is the relative minor: identical key signature, identical seven chords. A song that treats C#m — the vi chord here — as home base is in C# minor, even though its chord inventory matches this page exactly.
The parallel minor, E Minor, keeps the same root but flattens the third, sixth, and seventh — its signature shifts to one sharp (F#). Borrowing chords across that line is where a lot of songwriting color comes from.
Keep practicing
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