C guitar chord

How to play C on guitar

The most common way, the first shape above: your ring finger on the A string at the 3rd fret, your middle finger on the D string at the 2nd fret and your index finger on the B string at the 1st fret. Let the G and high E strings ring open. Don’t play the low E string.

From the low E string x 3 2 0 1 0 (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in C?

C, C major, is C, E and G: the root (C), the major third (E) and the perfect fifth (G). Its formula is 1 3 5.

What is the difference between C and Cm?

One note. C has the major third, E; Cm lowers it a half step to E♭. That one note turns the bright sound of a major chord into the darker sound of a minor one.

Can I play C5 instead?

C5, the power chord, is C and G with no third, so it is neither major nor minor. It stands in for C in rock, especially with distortion, where a full chord can sound muddy.

Keys with C

C is the I chord in C major, the V chord in F major, the IV chord in G major, the VII chord in D minor, the VI chord in E minor and the III chord in A minor, and the V of F minor, the major fifth chord from its harmonic minor scale.