C Major guitar chord
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful.
- Tap a note to hear it
- Arrows change position
- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About C — open string voicings
C is C, E and G.
It sounds plain and completely at rest. The reference every other chord on this page is a modification of.
C notes and formula
| C | E | G |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 5 |
Tonic — the chord a progression stops on.
Also written Cmaj, CM or C major. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play C
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. It costs no finger, so it can sound a note the closed shape has none left for: a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath.
These belong to their key rather than to a shape: they cannot be moved up the neck. D, A, G and E have many; E♭ has a handful.
C has 3 of them, on the bottom four strings, the top four strings and strings 6-4-3-2, all of them at the 2nd fret — all in one inversion, so the bass note never moves. The one to learn first is the E shape at the 2nd fret, which is the easiest grip here.
Start with x32010 — no barre and 2 open strings. 1 of the 7 shapes here sits in open position. 4 of the 7 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 15th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x32010 | open position | C, root position | E | 2 open strings |
| x35553 | 3rd fret | C, root position | G | barred |
| 875558 | 5th fret | C, root position | C | barred |
| xx5558 | 5th fret | G, 2nd inversion | C | barred |
| 8-10-10-9-8-8 | 8th fret | C, root position | C | barred |
| x-x-10-12-13-12 | 10th fret | C, root position | E | all fretted |
| x-15-14-12-13-12 | 12th fret | C, root position | E | all fretted |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 48 triad voicings, each on its own page.
How to use C
How you get to it. The turn that lands on C is Dm7 to G7 — the ii and the V of C — and G7 shares its third and seventh with Dm7, so the hand barely moves between them.
In which keys. Every note of C belongs to C major (the I), D minor (the ♭VII), E minor (the ♭VI), F major (the V), G major (the IV) and A minor (the ♭III).
What to play over C
Every note of C is in C major pentatonic, C major, C lydian, C mixolydian and C lydian dominant.
Chords near C
Change one note of C and you have Cm (the major third becomes a minor third), Csus2 (the major third becomes a ninth), Csus4 (the major third becomes a fourth), Cmaj7 (add the major seventh), Cadd9 (add the ninth) or C5 (drop the major third).
C is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. Major chords on every root.
On C’s sound and use this page follows Edward Aldwell & Carl Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading (Schirmer / Cengage, 4th ed., 2011). The shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.