- C - D - E - F - G - A - B
I don’t want to delve here into how each of these chords is built up, but a major scale has this structure, which can be represented by roman numerals:
- I ii iii IV V vi viio ( viio means vii dim ) i.e. a diminished chord
So with a C major scale and using the above Roman numerals, you will have the following chords:
- C Dm Em F G Am Bdim
When we identify the chords of a key by roman numerals, it makes it easier to transpose to another key. Here’s how this works. Take the key of C major and suppose we have a chord progression like this:
- C F Am G
- C F Am G
I IV vi V
So let’s identify each chord in the key of D major with a roman numeral.
- D = I
Em = ii
F#m = iii
G = IV
A = V
Bm = vi
C#m = viio
So with a D major scale and using the above Roman numerals, you will have the following chords:
- D Em F#m G A Bm C#o
As we can see, the “I” chord is “D”, the “IV” chord is “G”, the “vi” chord is “Bm”, and the “V” chord is “A.” So our transposed chord progression in the key of D major is D – G – Bm – A.
As you become more familiar with the chords in each key, the more transposing will become second nature. You can use the Circle of fifths to do this, but, I have put together a chart that will help you transpose into any key using the method shown above. To view or print out this chart, click on this link, which will open it up as a pdf document. Do a right-click to open it up in a New Tab.
Key Change Chart
To print it out, hover with the mouse near the top of the page and a PRINT option will appear in the top right hand corner.
Referring to this chart, first look for the key of the song. It's literally the key to how the whole song will go. If you don't know what key it is in, look at the number of
sharps ( # ) or flats ( b ). Then go down the left hand side of this chart until you find your key. Now look across the row. Listed is the basic chord progression for the key, in that some or all of those chords will be found in the song written in that key.
Another clue to the key of a song is what chord begins the song and what chord ends the song. Often, the note upon which the scale is built, called the tonic, will also be the first and/or last note of the song. You might only have lyrics and the chords to a song, but no more information about the specific notes used in the song. If the song begins and ends with the C chord, then that's a good place to start determining that the key your song is in, is C. Most songs end on the key chord, but there are rare exceptions. Many start on the key chord, but not as many as those that end on the key chord.
Once you've found your key, you'll want to decide what key you will be changing to. If the song you have is written in the key of C, for instance, and you want to try out how it will sound in the key of G, just take the chord C and replace it with the G. Take all the Dm chords and replace them with Am, and so on until you've changed all the chords.
There may be some variations of chords, but this basic template remains the same. If you find that there is, for example, a G7 chord in your song, then when you transpose it into the key of G, replace the G7 chord with the D7 chord. As long as you go column by column as you change the chords you will be correct.
For most of us, we will most likely want to transpose from a key with many sharps or flats, to one with less.
Peter