Must-Know Diatonic chords for guitar

This lesson is about diatonic chords you should know to play gypsy jazz , jazz , bossa nova.

There are diatonic shapes and chords, also diatonic chords for minor key.

If you know diatonic chord, you can use them to improvise solo or rhythm guitar ,also learning songs by ear .

It might be difficult to remember and use them on your solo but you will get used to it one day.

Diatonic chords

Basically that’s all. You just have to move the position when it’s different key. Like, When it’s D , first chord becomes Dmaj7 . so it’s a same shape of Cmaj7 but you move to 5th fret.

This is the diatonic chord key D. This is all same chord shape as key C but different frets.

When it’s key-E, then you start from 7th fret. But if you play it with the shapes above, it goes to 12th fret which is ok but also you can play them with the shape below.

Usually Diatonic chords are written like this.

Diatonic chords for minor key

About Diatonic for minor key…. it’s complicated because there are 3 different ways. I will explain them later but for now, let’s take a look at easy simplified one.

I said simplified one but this is commonly used and i will explain a bit about it.

This diatonic chord below is the one I showed above, key C.

This is major diatonic chords for C but also minor diatonic chords for Am.

Key-C

Cmaj7ー Dm7ー Em7ー Fmaj7ー G7ーAm7ー Bm7b5

Key-Am

Amー Bm7b5ー Cmaj7ー Dm7ー E7ー Fmaj7ー G7

Only one chord is different because 5th chord must be dominant chord which leads you to 1 chord(key). So it shouldn’t be m7 chord.

Let’s have a look at all the minor diatonic chords.

Cmaj Am diatonic chords → Am diatonic chords(5th chord Em7 becomes E7)

Amー Bm7b5ーCmaj7ー Dm7ー E7ー Fmaj7ー G7

D diatonic chords →Bm diatonic chords(F#m7→F#7)

Bmー C#m7b5ーDmaj7ー Em7ー F#7ー Gmaj7ー A7

Eb diatonic chords→Cm diatonic chords (Gm7→G7)

Cmー Dm7b5ーEbmaj7ー Fm7ー G7ー Abmaj7ー Bb7

Ediatonic chords→C#m diatonic chords(G#m7→G#7)

C#mー D#m7b5ーEmaj7ー F#m7ー G#7ー Amaj7ー B7

Fdiatonic chords→Dm diatonic chords (Fm7→F7)

Dmー Em7b5ーFmaj7ー Gm7ー A7ー Bbmaj7ー C7

G diatonic chords→Em diatonic chords (Bm7→B7)

Emー F#m7b5ーGmaj7ー Am7ー B7ー Cmaj7ー D7ー

Ab diatonic chords→Fm diatonic chords(Cm7→C7)

Fmー Gm7b5ーAbmaj7ー Bbm7ー C7ー Dbmaj7ー Eb7

A diatonic chords→F#m diatonic chords(C#m7→C#7)

F#mー G#m7b5ーAmaj7ー Bm7ー C#7ー Dmaj7ー E7

Bb diatonic chords→Gm diatonic chords(Dm7→D7)

Gmー Am7b5ーBbmaj7ー Cm7ー D7ー Ebmaj7ー F7

B diatonic chords→G#m diatonic chords(D#m7→D#7) 

G#mー A#m7b5 ーBmaj7ー C#m7ー D#7ー Emaj7ー F#7

Now let’s have a look at 3 different minor diatonic chords which is Natural minor , Harmonic minor , Melodic minor.

Natural minor

Ⅰm Ⅱdim Ⅲb Ⅳm Ⅴm Ⅵb Ⅶb

Ex）Cm Ddim Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb

Harmonic minor

Ⅰm Ⅱdim Ⅲbaug Ⅳm Ⅴ Ⅵb Ⅶdim

Ex）Cm Ddim Ebaug Fm G Ab Bdim

Melodic minor

Ⅰm Ⅱm Ⅲbaug Ⅳ Ⅴ Ⅵdim Ⅶdim

Ex）Cm Dm Ebaug F G Adim Bdim

Tips to remember diatonic chords

Don’t try to remember all the chords name of diatonic chords in all keys! Try to remember just like <I is maj7> < II is m7> etc… it’s way easier for now !(In the end we all better know the name though…)

Hope you enjoy the lesson!