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Lesson 28 - Three Secondary Chords

I. Index

1. Introduction

2. Playing the ii, iii, vi Chords in the Key of C Major

3. How Does the ii, iii, vi Chords Apply to Playing and Writing Songs

4. Finding the ii, iii, vi Chords in All 12 Keys

5. Conclusion

II. Content

1. Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about three chords used in songs. These three chords are
sometimes called the "secondary chords", or the "ii, iii, vi chords".

2. Playing the ii, iii, vi Chords in the Key of C Major

Every key has its own set of ii, iii, vi chords. Below is an illustration of a major scale in the key of
C.

To play the ii, iii, vi chords in any key, we just have to play a minor chord on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th
notes of the major scale of that key. Below is the ii chord of the C major scale. It is a minor chord

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built on the 2nd note of the C major scale.

Below is the iii chord of the C major scale. It is a minor chord built on the 3rd note of the C major
scale.

Below is the vi chord of the C major scale. It is a minor chord built on the 6th note of the C major
scale.

3. How Does the ii, iii, vi Chords Apply to Playing and Writing Songs
Use the seconday ii, iii, vi chords along with the primary I, IV, V chords when playing songs.
Since the secondary chords are minor and sound sad, they create a nice contrast when played
along with the major primary chords which sound happy.

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4. Finding the ii, iii, vi Chords in All 12 Keys

You can use the major scale to help you locate the ii, iii, vi chords. The ii chord is the minor chord
that is built on the 2nd note of any major scale. The iii chord is the chord that is built on the 3rd
note of any minor scale. The vi chord is the chord that is built on the 6th note of any minor scale.

Below is a list of the ii, iii, vi chords starting on all 12 keys.

Key of A: B, C#, F#

Key of Bb: C, D, G

Key of B: C#, D#, G#

Key of C: D, E, A

Key of Db: Eb, F, Bb

Key of D: E, F#, B

Key of Eb: F, G, C

Key of E: F#, G#, C#

Key of F: G, A, D

Key of Gb: Ab, Bb, Eb

Key of G: A, B, E

Key of Ab: Bb, C, F

5. Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned how to play the ii, iii, vi chords in the key of C major. There is a
set of ii, iii, vi chords for each of the 12 keys.

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