Music Key Chart: All 24 Major and Minor Keys

A music key chart lists all 24 keys, 12 major and 12 minor, with the sharps or flats of each key signature. Every major key shares its signature with a relative minor: G major and E minor both have one sharp, F♯. The chart below also gives each key’s scale notes and chords.

Musical Keys Chart

Every major and minor key with its sharps or flats, scale notes, chords and relative key. Tap a key to see it on a keyboard and hear the scale.

Major keysMinor keys

12 major keys (+3 enharmonic names)

Swipe the chart sideways to see the chords and relative keys.

Major keys chart: key signature, scale notes, diatonic chords and relative minor of every major key

Major key	Key signature	Scale notes1234567	ChordsIiiiiiIVVvivii°	Relative minor
C major	0	C D E F G A B	C Dm Em F G Am B°	A minor
G major	1♯F♯	G A B C D E F♯	G Am Bm C D Em F♯°	E minor
D major	2♯F♯ C♯	D E F♯ G A B C♯	D Em F♯m G A Bm C♯°	B minor
A major	3♯F♯ C♯ G♯	A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯	A Bm C♯m D E F♯m G♯°	F♯ minor
E major	4♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯	E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯	E F♯m G♯m A B C♯m D♯°	C♯ minor
B major= C♭ major	5♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯	B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯	B C♯m D♯m E F♯ G♯m A♯°	G♯ minor
F♯ major= G♭ major	6♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯	F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯	F♯ G♯m A♯m B C♯ D♯m E♯°	D♯ minor
C♯ major= D♭ major	7♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯	C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ B♯	C♯ D♯m E♯m F♯ G♯ A♯m B♯°	A♯ minor
F major	1♭B♭	F G A B♭ C D E	F Gm Am B♭ C Dm E°	D minor
B♭ major	2♭B♭ E♭	B♭ C D E♭ F G A	B♭ Cm Dm E♭ F Gm A°	G minor
E♭ major	3♭B♭ E♭ A♭	E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D	E♭ Fm Gm A♭ B♭ Cm D°	C minor
A♭ major	4♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭	A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G	A♭ B♭m Cm D♭ E♭ Fm G°	F minor
D♭ major= C♯ major	5♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭	D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C	D♭ E♭m Fm G♭ A♭ B♭m C°	B♭ minor
G♭ major= F♯ major	6♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭	G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F	G♭ A♭m B♭m C♭ D♭ E♭m F°	E♭ minor
C♭ major= B major	7♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭	C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭	C♭ D♭m E♭m F♭ G♭ A♭m B♭°	A♭ minor

Minor keys chart: key signature, natural minor scale notes, diatonic chords and relative major of every minor key

Minor key	Key signature	Scale notes (natural minor)1234567	Chordsiii°IIIivvVIVII	Relative major
A minor	0	A B C D E F G	Am B° C Dm Em F G	C major
E minor	1♯F♯	E F♯ G A B C D	Em F♯° G Am Bm C D	G major
B minor	2♯F♯ C♯	B C♯ D E F♯ G A	Bm C♯° D Em F♯m G A	D major
F♯ minor	3♯F♯ C♯ G♯	F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E	F♯m G♯° A Bm C♯m D E	A major
C♯ minor	4♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯	C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B	C♯m D♯° E F♯m G♯m A B	E major
G♯ minor= A♭ minor	5♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯	G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E F♯	G♯m A♯° B C♯m D♯m E F♯	B major
D♯ minor= E♭ minor	6♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯	D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯	D♯m E♯° F♯ G♯m A♯m B C♯	F♯ major
A♯ minor= B♭ minor	7♯F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯	A♯ B♯ C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯	A♯m B♯° C♯ D♯m E♯m F♯ G♯	C♯ major
D minor	1♭B♭	D E F G A B♭ C	Dm E° F Gm Am B♭ C	F major
G minor	2♭B♭ E♭	G A B♭ C D E♭ F	Gm A° B♭ Cm Dm E♭ F	B♭ major
C minor	3♭B♭ E♭ A♭	C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭	Cm D° E♭ Fm Gm A♭ B♭	E♭ major
F minor	4♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭	F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭	Fm G° A♭ B♭m Cm D♭ E♭	A♭ major
B♭ minor= A♯ minor	5♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭	B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭	B♭m C° D♭ E♭m Fm G♭ A♭	D♭ major
E♭ minor= D♯ minor	6♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭	E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭	E♭m F° G♭ A♭m B♭m C♭ D♭	G♭ major
A♭ minor= G♯ minor	7♭B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭	A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭	A♭m B♭° C♭ D♭m E♭m F♭ G♭	C♭ major

Key signatures on the treble clef. Blue notes are the sharps or flats of the key. “=” names the same key spelled another way (enharmonic).

More options

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All 24 keysSharp keys (♯)Flat keys (♭)

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C major

No sharps or flats

CDEFGABC

Scale notes

C D E F G A B

Relative minor

A minor

Camelot (DJ)

8B

Chords in this key

1. IC
2. iiDm
3. iiiEm
4. IVF
5. VG
6. viAm
7. vii°B°

▶ Play scale Show A minor (relative)

Need a song in another key? Change the key in the Online Key Changer

Related tools

How to read a key signature

A key signature is the group of sharps (♯) or flats (♭) at the start of every staff line. It tells you which notes are raised or lowered throughout the piece, so it names the song key in four quick rules:

1. No sharps or flats: C major or A minor.
2. Sharps: the last sharp is the 7th note of the major scale, so go up one half step. F♯ C♯ G♯ ends on G♯, so the key is A major.
3. Flats: the second-to-last flat names the major key. In B♭ E♭ A♭ it is E♭, so the key is E♭ major. One flat (B♭) is F major, the one flat key to learn by heart.
4. Major or minor? Every signature fits two keys. The relative minor is 3 semitones below the major key (A major → F♯ minor). If the music rests on F♯ and uses E♯, the raised 7th of harmonic minor, it is in F♯ minor.

A key signature never mixes sharps and flats, and each one applies to that note in every octave. For a recording without sheet music, the guide to finding the key of a song shows how to hear the home note, or the song key finder detects it for you.

Sharps and flats chart: the order of sharps and flats

Sharps are always added in the order F C G D A E B, and flats in the reverse order, B E A D G C F. A key with 3 sharps always has F♯, C♯ and G♯; a key with 2 flats always has B♭ and E♭. Common memory aids are “Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle” for sharps and “Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’s Father” for flats.

Sharps and flats chart: all 15 key signatures

Number	Sharp keys	Sharps	Flat keys	Flats
0	C major / A minor	none	C major / A minor	none
1	G major / E minor	F♯	F major / D minor	B♭
2	D major / B minor	F♯ C♯	B♭ major / G minor	B♭ E♭
3	A major / F♯ minor	F♯ C♯ G♯	E♭ major / C minor	B♭ E♭ A♭
4	E major / C♯ minor	F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯	A♭ major / F minor	B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭
5	B major / G♯ minor	F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯	D♭ major / B♭ minor	B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭
6	F♯ major / D♯ minor	F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯	G♭ major / E♭ minor	B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭
7	C♯ major / A♯ minor	F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ B♯	C♭ major / A♭ minor	B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭ F♭

Each new sharp key starts a perfect fifth (7 semitones) above the last one: C, G, D, A, E, B, F♯, C♯. Each new flat key starts a fifth below: C, F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭. Drawn as a clock face, that pattern is the circle of fifths, which shows at a glance which keys are close neighbours.

Major keys and their relative minor keys

A relative minor uses the same notes and key signature as its major key, starting on the 6th note. C major (C D E F G A B) and A minor (A B C D E F G) share all seven notes. The relative minor is always 3 semitones (a minor third) below the major tonic: G → E, D → B, F → D, B♭ → G. Tap Show … (relative) in the chart to jump between the two.

A parallel minor is different: it keeps the tonic and changes the notes. C minor has 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭), so going from C major to C minor lowers the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes. The major to minor converter shows both kinds of conversion for any key, scale or chord progression.

Enharmonic keys: why 24 keys have 30 names

Twelve pitches can be the home note, and each can be major or minor, which makes 24 keys. Three major and three minor keys have two correct spellings that sound exactly the same (enharmonic equivalents), so a full key-signature chart shows 15 major and 15 minor names.

Enharmonic keys: same sound, two names

Sharp spelling	Flat spelling	Usually written as
B major (5 sharps)	C♭ major (7 flats)	B major
F♯ major (6 sharps)	G♭ major (6 flats)	both
C♯ major (7 sharps)	D♭ major (5 flats)	D♭ major
G♯ minor (5 sharps)	A♭ minor (7 flats)	G♯ minor
D♯ minor (6 sharps)	E♭ minor (6 flats)	both
A♯ minor (7 sharps)	B♭ minor (5 flats)	B♭ minor

Musicians usually choose the spelling with fewer accidentals: D♭ major (5 flats), not C♯ major (7 sharps). Under More options, the Sharp keys and Flat keys filters show all 15 signatures of one type.

Chords in every key (Roman numerals)

Every major key has three major chords (I, IV, V), three minor chords (ii, iii, vi) and one diminished chord (vii°). In G major these are G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F♯°. A natural minor key uses the same seven chords in a different order, i ii° III iv v VI VII: in E minor, Em, F♯°, G, Am, Bm, C and D.

Because the numbers stay the same, a progression works in any key. Here is the pop progression I–V–vi–IV in seven common keys:

The I–V–vi–IV progression in common keys

Key	I	V	vi	IV
C major	C	G	Am	F
G major	G	D	Em	C
D major	D	A	Bm	G
A major	A	E	F♯m	D
E major	E	B	C♯m	A
F major	F	C	Dm	B♭
B♭ major	B♭	F	Gm	E♭

Harmonic minor raises the 7th note by a semitone (G to G♯ in A minor), which turns chord v into a major V (E instead of Em). To rewrite a whole chord sheet in another key, follow the steps to transpose a song by hand or paste it into the chord transposer. More lessons are in the music theory guides.

Keys for guitar and for singing

On guitar, G, D and A major are the easiest keys because all three main chords (I, IV, V) are open chords: G C D, D G A and A D E. C major (C F G) and E major (E A B) each need one barre chord. For flat keys guitarists use a capo: G shapes with a capo on fret 3 sound in B♭ major.

For singers, no key on a chart is best in general. The right key is the one that puts the song’s highest and lowest notes inside your range. Work it out with what key should I sing in or match a key to your vocal range. When only the chorus strains, 1 to 3 semitones lower is usually enough (more tips for a song that is too high).

Which chart or tool do you need?

This chart shows what is inside every key; these tools measure or change keys.

Which tool fits your task

Tool	Use it when
Music key chart (this page)	You need the sharps or flats, scale notes, chords, relative key or DJ Camelot code of a key.
Key change chart	You know two keys and need the semitones between them (a key change or key conversion chart).
Semitone calculator	You need the distance between any two notes, with octaves, cents or frequencies.
Online key changer	You want to hear and download a recording in a new key, with the tempo kept.
Online pitch changer	You want a quick pitch change of any audio file.

Questions about music keys

How many keys are there in music?

There are 24 keys: 12 major and 12 minor. They use 15 key signatures (none, 1 to 7 sharps, 1 to 7 flats). A full key-signature chart therefore shows 30 names, because six keys have two enharmonic spellings.

What key has 4 sharps?

E major and its relative minor, C♯ minor. The four sharps are F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯. With 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭) the keys are A♭ major and F minor.

How many sharps does A minor have?

None. A minor is the relative minor of C major, so its key signature has no sharps or flats. The G♯ that appears in many A minor songs is the raised 7th of harmonic minor, written as an accidental in the music.

Can a key signature have both sharps and flats?

No. A standard key signature uses only sharps or only flats. Extra sharps, flats or naturals inside the music are accidentals, and they last only until the end of the bar.

What is the easiest key to play?

On piano, C major and A minor, because they use only white keys. On guitar, G, D and A major and E minor are easiest.

What is the Camelot code of a key?

A DJ label for the circle of fifths: numbers 1 to 12, with B for major and A for minor. C major is 8B and its relative A minor is 8A. Keys with the same number or one number apart mix smoothly.

Does changing the key change the pitch?

Yes. Every note moves by the same number of semitones (see what semitones are), so C to D raises the whole song by 2. A key change written into a song is part of the composition; changing the key of a recording needs a pitch shifter that keeps the tempo, as explained in key change vs pitch change.