C Major Banjo Chords and Chord Progressions

The key of C major has no sharps and no flats. For reference, here are the notes in the C major scale:

  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • A
  • B

All the chords in the key of C major are made up of these seven notes, and each note gets to be the root note for one of the chords, thus making seven triad chords in this key.

  • C Major
  • D Minor
  • E Minor
  • F Major
  • G Major
  • A Minor
  • B Diminished

Note: In this article I’m using banjo chord charts that I created using Microsoft Paint. Here are all the banjo chord charts that are free to use personally and commercially under Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License.

I Chord — C Major or C Major Seventh

The first chord (I) in the key of C major is the C major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the C major chord on banjo.

C Major chord chart for banjo

The C major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the I chord in the key of C major. Below is my favorite way to play the C major seventh chord.

C Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

ii Chord — D Minor or D Minor Seventh

The second chord (ii) in the key of C major is the D minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the D minor chord on banjo.

D Minor chord chart for banjo

The D minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the ii chord in the key of C major. Below is my favorite way to play the D minor seventh chord.

D Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

iii Chord — E Minor or E Minor Seventh

The third chord (iii) in the key of C major is the E minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the E minor chord on banjo.

E Minor chord chart for banjo

The E minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iii chord in the key of C major. Below is my favorite way to play the E minor seventh chord.

E Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

IV Chord — F Major or F Major Seventh

The fourth chord (IV) in the key of C major is the F major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the F major chord on banjo.

F Major chord chart for banjo

The F major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the IV chord in the key of C major. Below is my favorite way to play the F major seventh chord.

F Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

V Chord — G Major or G Dominant Seventh

The fifth chord (V) in the key of C major is the G major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the G major chord on banjo.

G Major chord chart for banjo

The G dominant seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the V chord in the key of C major. Below is my favorite way to play the G dominant seventh chord.

G Dominant Seventh chord chart for banjo

vi Chord — A Minor or A Minor Seventh

The sixth chord (vi) in the key of C major is the A minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the A minor chord on banjo.

A Minor chord chart for banjo

The A minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the vi chord in the key of C major. Below is my favorite way to play the A minor seventh chord.

A Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

viidim Chord — B Diminished or B Minor Seventh Flat Five

The seventh chord (viidim) in the key of C major is the B diminished chord. Below is my preferred way to play the B diminished chord on banjo.

B Diminished chord chart for banjo

The B minor seventh flat five chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the viidim chord in the key of C major. Below is my favorite way to play the B minor seventh flat five chord.

B Minor Seventh Flat Five chord chart for banjo

Chord Progressions in the Key of C Major

Here are 10 chord progressions in the key of C Major that you can experiment with. I have included banjo tablature to make playing the chords easier for you.

1. C Major, F Major, G Major

D| --5---5-----10--10----0---0---
B| --5---5-----10--10----0---0---
G| --5---5-----10--10----0---0---
D| --5---5-----10--10----0---0---
G| ------------------------------

2. C Major, G Major, A Minor, F Major

D| --5---5-----0---0-----2---2-----10--10--
B| --5---5-----0---0-----1---1-----10--10--
G| --5---5-----0---0-----2---2-----10--10--
D| --5---5-----0---0-----2---2-----10--10--
G| ----------------------------------------

3. C Major, F Major, C Major, G Major

D| --5---5-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
B| --5---5-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
G| --5---5-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
D| --5---5-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
G| ----------------------------------------

4. C Major, E Minor, F Major, A Minor

D| --5---5-----9---9-----10--10----2---2---
B| --5---5-----8---8-----10--10----1---1---
G| --5---5-----9---9-----10--10----2---2---
D| --5---5-----9---9-----10--10----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------

5. A Minor, F Major, C Major, G Major

D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
B| --1---1-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
G| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
D| --2---2-----10--10----5---5-----0---0---
G| ----------------------------------------

6. F Major, C Major, G Major, C Major

D| --10--10----5---5-----0---0-----5---5---
B| --10--10----5---5-----0---0-----5---5---
G| --10--10----5---5-----0---0-----5---5---
D| --10--10----5---5-----0---0-----5---5---
G| ----------------------------------------

7. C Major, A Minor, F Major, G Major

D| --5---5-----2---2-----10--10----0---0---
B| --5---5-----1---1-----10--10----0---0---
G| --5---5-----2---2-----10--10----0---0---
D| --5---5-----2---2-----10--10----0---0---
G| ----------------------------------------

8. D Minor, G Major, C Major, A Minor

D| --7---7-----0---0-----5---5-----2---2---
B| --6---6-----0---0-----5---5-----1---1---
G| --7---7-----0---0-----5---5-----2---2---
D| --7---7-----0---0-----5---5-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------

9. C Major, F Major, A Minor, G Major

D| --5---5-----10--10----2---2-----0---0---
B| --5---5-----10--10----1---1-----0---0---
G| --5---5-----10--10----2---2-----0---0---
D| --5---5-----10--10----2---2-----0---0---
G| ----------------------------------------

10. C Major, D Minor, E Minor, F Major, G Major

D| --5---5-----7---7-----9---9-----10--10----0---0---
B| --5---5-----6---6-----8---8-----10--10----0---0---
G| --5---5-----7---7-----9---9-----10--10----0---0---
D| --5---5-----7---7-----9---9-----10--10----0---0---
G| --------------------------------------------------

11. C Major, F Major, D Minor, G Major

D| --5---5-----10--10----7---7-----0---0---
B| --5---5-----10--10----6---6-----0---0---
G| --5---5-----10--10----7---7-----0---0---
D| --5---5-----10--10----7---7-----0---0---
G| ----------------------------------------

12. C Major, G Major, A Minor, E Minor, F Major, C Major, F Major, G Major

D| --5---5-----0---0-----2---2-----9---9-----10--10----5---5-----10--10----0---0---
B| --5---5-----0---0-----1---1-----8---8-----10--10----5---5-----10--10----0---0---
G| --5---5-----0---0-----2---2-----9---9-----10--10----5---5-----10--10----0---0---
D| --5---5-----0---0-----2---2-----9---9-----10--10----5---5-----10--10----0---0---
G| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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