Chord & FretHarmonic field of C major
The harmonic field of C major is the set of seven chords born from the C major scale — one on each of its notes. The table shows each in two versions: the triad (the three-note chord) and the seventh chord (the same chord with a fourth note, the seventh, that enriches it).
Notes: C – D – E – F – G – A – B| Degree | Triad | Seventh | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Cmaj7Cmaj7Cmaj7Cmaj7 | tonic |
| ii | Dm | Dm7Dm7Dm7Dm7 | subdominant |
| iii | Em | Em7Em7Em7Em7 | tonic |
| IV | F | Fmaj7Fmaj7Fmaj7Fmaj7 | subdominant |
| V | G | G7G7G7G7 | dominant |
| vi | Am | Am7Am7Am7Am7 | tonic |
| vii° | B° | Bm7b5 | dominant |
The roman numerals mark the chord's position in the scale: I is the first degree, V the fifth. Uppercase = major chord; lowercase = minor; ° = diminished.
Tonic chords stabilize and rest; subdominant chords prepare motion; dominant chords build the tension that asks for resolution.
The tonic chord on all four instruments
In Chord & Fret, open the Circle of Fifths, pick C major and hear every degree — triads and sevenths, with fretboard positions and the key's secondary dominants. Open in Chord & Fret →