Diatonic Chords

Diatonic chords for all 12 major keys based on the Nashville Number System.

How to Read the Chart

  • Left Column (Green): The key you are playing in.

  • Top Row (Numbers): The scale degree or chord position within that key.

    • Capital letters (1, 4, 5) are Major chords.

    • Lowercase 'm' numbers (2m, 3m, 6m) are minor chords.

Core Applications

  • Transposing Songs: Easily shift a song from one key to another by matching the column numbers.

  • Songwriting: Find chords that naturally sound good together because they belong to the same musical key.

  • Improvisation: Know exactly which minor or major chords you can safely play over a backing track.

Key Formulas

  • Major Chords: Always found on columns 1, 4, and 5.

  • Minor Chords: Always found on columns 2m, 3m, and 6m.

Michael Wei