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✨🎵✨ An interactive music theory cheat sheet to get all you need at a
glance:
keys, scales, modes, notes, chords and
intervals.

Just select a major or minor key and you’ll get the notes of
the scale, scale formula, the relative major or minor, modal scales for that
key, scale degrees/intervals, the key signature, the diatonic chords, the
diatonic 7th chords, the chord functions and the relationship with other keys
on the Circle of Fifths (aka circle of
fourth, when going counter-clockwise).

→ For more reference on chords and scales, you may like this
scale formula chart,
chord formula chart and this
list of chords.

C
Major

C
Major
Scale

formula:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7


steps:
whole whole half
whole whole whole half

whole half whole whole half
whole whole

C
Harmonic Minor Scale

formula:
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7

C
Melodic Minor Scale

formula:
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7

Modes of the Major Scale

C
Major Pentatonic Scale

formula:
1 2 3   5 6  

C
Major Blues Scale

formula:
1 2 ♭3 3 5   6  

C
Minor Pentatonic Scale

formula:
1   ♭3 4 5   ♭7

C
Minor Blues Scale

formula:
1   ♭3 4 ♭5 5   ♭7

C
Major
Scale Degrees & Intervals

  • 1- Tonic:

    C

    → Unison
  • 2- Supertonic:

    D

    → Major 2nd
  • 3- Mediant:

    E

    →
    Major 3rd
  • 4- Subdominant:

    F

    → Perfect 4th
  • 5- Dominant:

    G

    → Perfect 5th
  • 6- Submediant:

    A

    →
    Major 6th
  • 7-
    Leading Tone:

    B

    →
    Major 7th
  • 8/1- Octave/Tonic:

    C

    → Perfect 8th

C
Major
Key Signature & Notation

Theoretical Scale

The

scale

is a theoretical scale that contains double accidentals. For this
reason, that scale is not used often. The enharmonic equivalent scale is
used instead most of the time.

C
Major
Diatonic Chords

I ii iii IV V vi vii°
C



C E G


 Dm



D F A


 Em



E G B


 F






 G






 Am






 B°

C
Major Diatonic 7th Chords

IM7 iim7 iiim7 IVM7 V7 vim7 viiø7
C E G B


 D F A C


 E G B D


 F A C E








In functional harmony for a major key:

  • the tonic chords are chords
    I, iii & vi
  • the subdominant chords are chords
    IV & ii
  • the dominant chords are chords
    V & vii°
i ii° III iv v VI VII
C



C Eb G


 D°



D F Ab


 Eb



Eb G Bb


 Fm






 Gm






 A






 B

C
Natural Minor Diatonic 7th Chords

im7 iiø7 IIIM7 ivm7 vm7 VIM7 vii7
C Eb G Bb


 D F Ab C


 E G B D


 F A C E








In functional harmony for a minor key:

  • the tonic chords are chords
    i & III
  • the subdominant chords are chords
    iv, VI & ii°
  • the dominant chords are chords
    V, v, VII & vii°

The harmonic minor scale has a
raised 7th scale degree compared to the natural minor
scale, which makes that 7th scale degree into a
leading tone and makes the V chord a
major chord. In functional harmony, that V chord from
the harmonic minor scale is used most often because the leading tone
gives a stronger sense of wanting to be resolved to the tonic.

C
Major
on the Circle of Fifths

Common
C
Chords

click to hear the different chords

Order of sharps

F C G D A E B

Order of flats

B E A D G C F

Chromatic Scale

C-D♭-D-E♭-E-F-G♭-G-A♭-A-B♭-B


alternative enharmonic spelling:


C-C♯-D-D♯-E-F-F♯-G-G♯-A-A♯-B

Solfège syllables

Do Re Mi Fa So(l) La Ti Do

Accidentals

Double Sharp: 𝄪


Sharp: ♯


Natural: ♮


Flat: ♭


Double Flat: ♭♭

Chord Symbols

Major: M, maj, △


Minor: m, min, –


Dominant 7th: 7, dom7


Diminished: dim, °


Half-diminished: m7b5, ø


Augmented: aug, +

I hope this music theory cheat sheet is useful! 😎

You can get in touch with me here if you think I
should add something else to this page.

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