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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------