Chords in the Key of E Major

The E major scale has 7 notes, which means that there will be 7 chords in the key of E. Each chord will root on a note of the scale.TIP: The chords of any major key will always have the following major-minor pattern:

THE CHORDS IN E MAJOR ARE

Degree	I	ii	iii	IV	V	vi	vii
Chord	E major	F# minor	G# minor	A major	B major	C# minor	D# dim
Chart

TIP: The chords of any major key will always have the following major-minor pattern:
I = major,  ii = minor, iii = minor, IV = major, V = major, vi = minor, vii = diminished

Popular chord progressions in the key of E

Why are these the chords in the key of E major? (the theory)

Before moving on, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the theory of the major scale theory on guitar before continuing this lesson. So the chords in E will root on the notes along the E major scale, since all chords in a major key are formed by notes from their respective diatonic scale.

The E major scale has 7 notes, each with a corresponding scale degree:

Degree: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  1(octave)
Note:   E  F# G# A  B  C# D# E

But how do we know which chord will be major or minor?

Starting from a given root note, we need to form its triad in a way which leaves the chord constructed only from notes that can be found on the E major scale.

This means that starting from each root note, we’ll count out the 1^st 3^rd and 5^th degrees along the major scale of that given root note. We than compare these notes with the notes of the E major, and if any single note is not in our key, we’ll have to flatten it to make it a note that can be found on the E major scale. Confusing? Have no fear, we'll get to some examples shortly.

We’ll be differentiating 3 triads:

• Major triad (major chords) with scale degrees 1 3 5
• Minor triad (minor chords) with scale degrees 1 b3 5
• Diminished triads (diminished chords) with scale degrees 1 b3 b5

Now let’s calculate the quality of each chord in the key of E.

The key of E is a bit harder (than the key of G for example), since we have a lot of sharps, but it's good practice!

1. E major

   Note:  E  F# G# A  B  C# D# E
   Triad: 1     3     5
   This gives us the notes E, G# and B, which is the E major triad, therefore the first chord in the key of E is E major.

2. F# minor

   Note:  F# G# A# B  C# D# E# F#
   Triad: 1     3     5
   So our 3^rd note for would be an A#, but we can’t have that, since that note is not in the key of E major (not on the E major scale). This means we have to flatten the 3^rd.
   Note:  F# G# A  B  C# D# E# F#
   Triad: 1     b3    5
   This gives us the notes F#, A and C#, which is the F# minor triad. All of these notes are on the E major scale as well, therefore the second chord in the key of E is F# minor.

3. G# minor

   Note:  G# A# B# C# D# E# F## G#
   Triad: 1     3     5
   So our 3^rd note would be a B#, but again, we can’t have that, since that note is not in the key of E. We have to lower the 3^rd to the flattened 3^rd.
   Note:  G# A# B  C# D# E# F## G#
   Triad: 1     b3    5
   This gives us the notes G#, B and D#, which is the G# minor triad, therefore the third chord in the key of E is G# minor.

4. A major

   Note:  A  B  C# D  E  F# G# A
   Triad: 1     3     5
   This time we’re in luck, the 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th of the A major scale are in the key of E, so we don’t need to modify any of the notes. We get the notes A, C# and E, which is the A major triad, therefore the fourth chord in the key of E is A major.

5. B major

   Note:  B  C# D# E  F# G# A# B
   Triad: 1     3     5
   Again, the 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th of the B major scale are in the key of E, so we don’t need to modify any of the notes. We get the notes B, D# and F#, which is the B major triad, therefore the fifth chord in the key of E is B major.

6. C# minor

   Note:  C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#
   Triad: 1     3     5
   Again, we need to modify our 3^rd note, which would be an E#, since that note is not in the key of E. We have to lower the 3^rd to the flattened 3^rd.
   Note:  C# D# E  F# G# A# B# C#
   Triad: 1     b3    5
   This gives us the notes C#, E and G#, which is the C# minor triad, therefore the sixth chord in the key of E is C# minor.

7. D# diminished

   Note:  D# E# F##G# A# B# C##D#
   Triad: 1     3     5
   Oh what a mess, it's not enough that D# has two double accidentals, we also need to flatten the 3^rd AND the 5^th, since neither the F##, nor the A# are on the E major scale.
   Note:  D# E# F# G# A  B# C##D#
   Triad: 1     b3    b5
   This gives us the notes D#, F# and A, which is the D# diminished triad, therefore the seventh chord in the key of E is D# diminished.

And that's about it, you should now know the intricacies of chords in the key of E. This was a much more difficult key to work with, due to all of those sharps, but it's important to know because the key of E is a popular key as well.

Have a look at guitar chords in other keys as well.