Chords in the key of E major
The seven chords that live in E major, what each one is doing, and the progressions songwriters build from them.
| Numeral | Chord | Quality | Feels like |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | E | major | home |
| ii | F#m | minor | away |
| iii | G#m | minor | home |
| IV | A | major | away |
| V | B | major | pulls home |
| vi | C#m | minor | home |
| vii° | D#dim | diminished | pulls home |
Progressions that work in E major
The four-chord loop
E B C#m A
I – V – vi – IV
The pop workhorse; hundreds of hits run on exactly this loop.
Three-chord classic
E A B
I – IV – V
Folk, blues, country, punk: the whole song in three chords.
The doo-wop turn
E C#m A B
I – vi – IV – V
The 50s progression; instant nostalgia, still everywhere in ballads.
Jazz turnaround
F#m B E
ii – V – I
ii–V–I: the strongest way home a key has. Add 7ths for the full flavor.
How to use this key
Every key is the same machine with different letters. Three of these chords feel like home (E, G#m, C#m), two lean away (F#m, A), and two pull back toward home (B, D#dim). A progression is just a route through those three feelings, which is why the loops above work in any key: the numerals stay the same, only the spelling changes.
Write with the letters, think with the numerals. If a melody outgrows E major, the whole chart moves at once: transpose it to any key and every chord re-spells itself correctly.
E major shares its entire chord set with C# minor, its relative minor; the same seven chords, heard around a different home. Its nearest neighbors on the circle of fifths are B major and A major, one accidental away in either direction.
SongSheet keeps all of this live under a real chart: the key palette, the numerals, and capo math follow your song as you write. Start a chart free; no account needed.