All Keys, using the Nashville Numbering System

This page has all the base chords and a few of the most popular substitute chords you can use in the harmonic scale. Please use this to check your answers to the previous lesson's exercise, and commit now to learn this stuff well.

You know you have learned it well when:

• You can play all the base chords in the harmonic scale, up and down
• You can play any chord by knowing only the key signature and the number of the chord
• Once you establish the tonality of a song you hear, you instantly know the chord number you are hearing
• When playing a song, you know what subsitute chords you can choose from to add flavor, without sacrificing musicality
• When listening to music and you hear a substitute chord, you still recognize the chord number.

Key of C Major / A Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	C	Dm	Em	F	G	Am	Bd7
	CM7	Dm7	Em7	FM7	G7	Am7	Bm/A5
	C6		E7	F6

Key of Db Major / Bb Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	Db	Ebm	Fm	Gb	Ab	Bbm	Cd7
	DbM7	Ebm7	Fm7	GbM7	Ab7	Bbm7	Cm/A5
	Db6		F7	Gb6

Key of D Major / B Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	D	Em	F#m	G	A	Bm	C#d7
	DM7	Em7	F#m7	GM7	A7	Bm7	C#m/A5
	D6		F#7	G6

Key of Eb Major / C Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	Eb	Fm	Gm	Ab	Bb	Cm	Dd7
	EbM7	Fm7	Gm7	AbM7	Bb7	Cm7	Dm/A5
	Eb6		G7	Ab6

Key of E Major / C# Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	E	F#m	G#m	A	B	C#m	D#d7
	EM7	F#m7	G#m7	AM7	B7	C#m7	D#m/A5
	E6		G#7	A6

Key of F Major / D Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	F	Gm	Am	Bb	C	Dm	Ed7
	FM7	Gm7	Am7	BbM7	C7	Dm7	E#m/A5
	F6		A7	Bb6

Key of Gb Major / Eb Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	Gb	Abm	Bbm	Cb	Db	Ebm	Fd7
	GbM7	Abm7	Bbm7	CbM7	Db7	Ebm7	Fm/A5
	Gb6		Bb7	Cb6

Key of G Major / E Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	G	Am	Bm	C	D	Em	F#d7
	GM7	Am7	Bm7	CM7	D7	Em7	F#m/A5
	G6		B7	C6

Key of Ab Major / F Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	Ab	Bbm	Cm	Db	Eb	Fm	Gd7
	AbM7	Bbm7	Cm7	DbM7	Eb7	Fm7	Gm/A5
	Ab6		C7	Db6

Key of A Major / F# Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	A	Bm	C#m	D	E	F#m	G#d7
	AM7	Bm7	C#m7	DM7	E7	F#m7	G#m/A5
	A6		C#7	D6

Key of Bb / G Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	Bb	Cm	Dm	Eb	F	Gm	Ad7
	BbM7	Cm7	Dm7	EbM7	F7	Gm7	Am/A5
	Bb6		D7	Eb6

Key of B / G# Minor

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
	B	C#m	D#m	E	F#	G#m	A#d7
	BM7	C#m7	D#m7	EM7	F#7	G#m7	A#m/A5
	B6		D#7	E6

We will take this opportunity to mention briefly that the Nashville Numbering System will help you recognize and play chords in the diatonic scale, but what if you hear a chord that does not fit in the harmonic scale, or what if the key changes in the middle of the song? We will address this more in depth in future lessons, but the short answer is this: When a musician borrows a chord from outside the scale, (and if they know what they are doing, by not totally losing the rest of us), then we call that a chromatic chord. Chromatic chords are used to add color. If this is the case, we note the chromatic chord, and move on with the rest of the music that remains withing the safe harbor of the harmonic scale. If the key changes entirely, we can simply take the two stars from above belonging to each key, and chain them together.