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Diatonic chords in different keys

1,629 views · Published 4 November 2016 · 6:58 · Indexed 14 November 2026

Channel: New Secret Guitar Teacher · 2016 · Music

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Diatonic chords on guitar. Diatonic series in different keys. Working with the diatonic chord series and learning to play and to understand it better.
Sample lesson from the Secret Guitar Teacher Site:  http://secretguitarteacher.com/youtube/ssb.php?lp_id=1793

Video Script: 
In the last lesson we learnt to play a  diatonic series of chords rooted on the fifth string in the key of C, whilst reciting the numbers and names of each chord as we played it like this.

I CM7, ii Dm7, iii Em7, IV FM7, V G7, vi Am7, vii Bm7b5, VIII CM7

In this lesson let's just expand that out to all the other main keys that we are ever likely to need to play in. And to do that we might as well simply work from the open A string and so start with the key of A major.

Before starting this run, I remind myself that the key of A has three sharps: F# C# and G# - if you are hazy on this, then you will need to check out the first part of the Guitar Music Theory Course. So  I AM7, ii Bm7, iii C#m7, IV DM7, V E7, vi F#m7, vii G#m7b5, VIII AM7

I am betting that for the vast majority of you, the hard part of this is naming the chords! So I am setting you the goal of repeating each key until your ability to correctly number and name each chord catches up with your ability to play them!

So, once happy with that key, just move up a fret. And that takes us to the key of Bb which, I remind myself has 2 flats Bb and Eb so that goes: I BbM7, ii Cm7, iii Dm7, IV EbM7, V F7, vi Gm7, vii Am7b5, VIII BbM7

Again, repeat this until your ability to name and number the chords is up to the speed you can play them at.

Then on to B major with its 5 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#, and A#  I BM7, ii C#m7, iii D#m7, IV EM7, V F#7, vi G#m7, vii A#m7b5, VIII BM7

Then we come to C, which we have already checked out on so let's go straight on to C# for now. This has 7 sharps which actually makes it quite easy.  I C#M7, ii D#m7, iii E#m7, IV F#M7, V G#7, vi A#m7,  and here you may well find it best to jump down an octave as it gets a bit difficult to form these chords so high on the fretboard vii B#m7b5, VIII C#M7

So that should give you the idea. You just work your way up chromatically from one key to the next and you are testing your familiarity both with the key signatures of each key note and of the diatonic series of chord types.

In itself, that exercise will pay dividends on several levels at once. It is firming up your theory knowledge, your fingers and your ears all in one go.

For those of you relatively new to this sort of thing that will be more than enough to work on for a week or two.

For the more advanced student, there is no reason not to apply exactly the same process to playing diatonic series rooted on the 6th and 4th strings I would use these shapes for the 6th string rooted ones:
 
M7 min7 dominant 7 and m7b5, and these for the D string roots
M7 min7 dominant 7 and m7b5. And again, the important thing is to call out the numbers and names of each chord as you play it and to work through all the keys.

In the next lesson we will build on this exercise by working on the arpeggios for the same series.

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