Jump start your theory understanding by learning to play songs in C Major.
The best way to truly understand music theory is not by reading textbooks and filling out theory worksheets. Those things help, but what really counts is processing chords in a hands-on way once you have understood the basic theory.
It can be useful to start with one key to help you understand how chords work within a key – after all, there are lots of details to keep track of. Because so many chords are used in multiple keys, the lines can start to get blurred. Which chord belongs in which key? How do you know when you need D Major versus D Minor? Why are there so many chords to play in each key?
Having songs and pieces to play in one key will help clear up all of these questions. You’ll finally start to understand music theory! (What’s the difference between a song and a piece? Find out here.)
Why songs in C Major?
Starting with songs in C Major is a great place to start, because the scale is all white keys, so the chords that “belong” in the key are also all white keys – no sharps or flats to keep track of to complicate things. If you need a refresher on C Major, start here and then come back.
And if you need a refresher on relative major and minor keys, start here – because a few of these options are actually in A Minor, and that blog post will help you out if it’s unclear why.
The songs on this list are roughly sorted by difficulty – the first ones only use basic chords, and as the list goes on more variety is mixed in, some extended chords start to appear, and the last 5 start to stray away from the diatonic chords and you’ll be able to start testing out some chromatic changes within the key. If you learn each of these songs in order, you’ll quickly master chord patterns in C Major!
How to use this list
I recommend using chord charts to work your way through these songs – I always get my chord charts from Ultimate Guitar, because they have everything and the charts are really reliable. The chords you’ll need for the song are always listed at the beginning of the chart, so you can make sure you know which notes and chords you’re going to need. From there, you can practice the songs a few ways – choose whatever is most comfortable for you to get started.
For each of these levels, you can either hum/sing to your playing or you can play along with the original recording, since you’re learning the songs in the same key.
- Alternate which hand you’re playing the chords with so that you can search with one hand while the other hand plays. For example, start with a C Major chord in your left hand, then find the following G Major chord with your right hand. Keep the chords in root position.
- Play all of the chords in one hand, jumping to each root position chord.
- Continue playing the chords in one hand, but try to use inversions to make transitions between chords smoother
- While the right hand plays inverted chords, play octaves of the root of each chord in the left hand
- Continue with the system from level 4, but now start to create a rhythmic pattern too
- Start creating accompaniment patterns out of the chords
What you need to know about chord charts
Following along with chord symbols can get a bit confusing, since the system is not very standardized. Another great feature of Ultimate Guitar is that a diagram is provided for the chords that helps clarify the notes in case you have any doubts.
You’re mostly going to be dealing with major and minor triads (three note chords) for the songs on this list.
Major chords are listed on Ultimate Guitar charts with uppercase letters – so C Major will appear as C, G Major as G, and so on.
In the charts I’ve linked to below, minor chords are listed with an uppercase letter followed by a lowercase “m” – so A Minor is listed as “Am”, D Minor is listed as “Dm”, and so on.
Without further ado, here are 14 songs in C Major to help you practice.
Songs in C Major
1. All the Small Things by blink-182
Chords you’ll need: C Major, G Major, F Major
How it helps you learn: The chords are straightforward and repetitive; you’ll master tonic, subdominant, dominant; plenty of time between chord changes
2. Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift
Chords you’ll need: C Major, G Major, A Minor, F Major
How it helps you learn: The chords are straightforward and repetitive; you’ll master tonic, subdominant, dominant, submediant; relaxed tempo, plenty of time between chord changes
3. All Too Well by Taylor Swift
Chords you’ll need: C Major, G Major, A Minor, F Major
How it helps you learn: The chords are straightforward and repetitive; you’ll master tonic, subdominant, dominant, submediant; relaxed tempo, plenty of time between chord changes
4. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever by ZAYN
Chords you’ll need: C Major, G Major, A Minor, F Major, D diminished 7 (this chord only appears in passing at the beginning and the very end – can be skipped)
How it helps you learn: The chords are straightforward and repetitive; you’ll master tonic, subdominant, dominant, submediant; relaxed tempo, plenty of time between chord changes
5. The Joker and the Queen by Ed Sheeran
Chords you’ll need: C Major, G Major, A Minor, F Major, D Minor;
optional: Cmaj7 and C9 – you can try these out, or simplify them to a regular C
Major chord
How it helps you learn: The chords are straightforward and repetitive; you’ll master
tonic, supertonic, subdominant, dominant, submediant; relaxed tempo, plenty of
time between chord changes
6. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!
Chords you’ll need: C Major, D Minor, E Minor, F Major, G Major;
optional: C7 you can try this out, or simplify it to a regular C Major chord
How it helps you learn: The chords are less repetitive, and the tempo is livelier, so
you’ll have the chance to practice making changes more often and quicker; it
has more chords, but they tend to slide to neighboring tones, making it
manageable; you’ll master tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant
7. Let It Be by The Beatles
Chords you’ll need: C Major, D Minor, E Minor, F Major, G Major, A Minor;
optional: Bb Major – you only need this in the bridge, which you could also
leave out
How it helps you learn: This song uses almost all of the diatonic chords in C Major,
so it’s great for getting familiar with a wider range of chords; the tempo is fairly
relaxed, but the chord changes do happen a bit quicker than in some songs, so
it’s a good chance to practice more frequent changes
8. Stay by Rihanna
Chords you’ll need: C Major, D Minor, E Minor, F Major, G Major, A Minor
optional: D Minor 7 – you only need this in the bridge, but you can also just play
a regular D Minor chord
How it helps you learn: This song uses almost all of the diatonic chords in C Major,
so it’s great for getting familiar with a wider range of chords
9. Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper
Chords you’ll need: C Major, D Minor, E Minor, F Major, G Major, A Minor
How it helps you learn: This song uses almost all of the diatonic chords in C Major,
so it’s great for getting familiar with a wider range of chords; the tempo is
upbeat and the chord changes do happen a bit quicker than in some songs, so
it’s a good chance to practice more frequent changes
10. Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers (A Minor)
Chords you’ll need: A Minor 7, E Minor 7, G Major, G7
How it helps you learn: This song is a good introduction to A Minor because it stays
within the natural minor scale, and it’s also a great way to start using 7 chords;
you can simplify everything by taking the 7ths out, but I would encourage you to
give these a try – once you’ve worked through the first 9 songs on the list, you
must be ready for a new challenge!
Songs in C Major with Chromatic Chords
11. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Chords you’ll need: C Major, E7, F Major, G Major, A Minor
How it helps you learn: This song mostly sticks to the I-V-vi-IV pattern that’s
common in pop music, but it mixes things up by adding in an E7 – which is a
clever trick to play with the contrast between C Major and A Minor; the tempo is
laid back, so it’s a good chance to practice the new chord
12. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Chords you’ll need: C Major, E Major, F Major, G Major, A Minor
How it helps you learn: This song also mostly sticks to the I-V-vi-IV pattern, but it
mixes things up by adding in an E Major chord; the tempo is upbeat so it’s a
good chance to practice quicker chord changes
13. Imagine by John Lennon
Chords you’ll need: C Major, Cmaj7, D Minor, E Major, E7, F Major, Fmaj7, G Major,
G7, A Minor
How it helps you learn: This song mostly stays within C Major, but there are a few
“leans” towards A Minor and a number of 7th chords; the tempo is laid back, so
it’s a good chance to practice the new chords
14. Drops of Jupiter by Train
Chords you’ll need: C Major, D Major, D Minor, F Major, G Major, Bb Major
How it helps you learn: The verses of this song stay to basic chords in C Major, but
in the chorus and bridge you’ll get a chance to try out more adventurous territory
Have more specific questions about using chord charts? Or anything music theory related? Send me an email at robyn@pianowithrobyn.com, and I’m happy to help!
0 Comments