Major chord · C# root
C# chord
- C#1
- E#3
- G#5
The C# major chord (also called the Db chord — same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes C#, E#, G#. A major shape you will meet in barre-chord territory.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the C# chord?
The C# chord (C# major) is a major chord built from three notes: C#, E#, G# — the 1–3–5 of the C# scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 4 (x-4-6-6-6-4); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 4 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the C# chord on guitar?
Fret 4 barre — a movable shape, so this same fingering works for every root note.
- Lay your index finger flat across the A to high E strings at fret 4, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Lay your ring finger flat across the D to B strings at fret 6, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (A string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. x-x-6-6-6-4
How do you make C# sound clean?
C# is a four-fret A-shape barre, so the reach is the problem, not the barre.
C# → F# → G#: the I–IV–V of C#. Play it once a day until the reach feels normal.
In real songs
C# in songs
None of the 104 songs charted on this site use C# yet — it is a colour chord rather than a songwriting staple.
What other ways can you play C# up the neck?
3 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 6 barre
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
A single bar covers the rest of the strings here. If the inside strings stay dead, move the bar a millimetre closer to the fret wire before you try pressing harder.
Position 3 · Fret 9 barre
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
A single bar covers the rest of the strings here. If the inside strings stay dead, move the bar a millimetre closer to the fret wire before you try pressing harder.
Position 4 · Fret 11
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
Up at fret 11 the frets are close together, so use a lighter touch than you would in the open position — squeezing here pulls the notes sharp.
The theory behind C#
C# is spelled C# – E# – G# — the 1 – 3 – 5 of the C# scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to.
The third is the note that makes it major, so it decides the character: keep it on top and C# sounds bright, drop it below the fifth and the same notes sound rounder. On guitar that is a matter of which string you put it on, which is exactly what the different positions on this page do.
What key is the C# chord in?
C# is the I chord in the key of Db major, the IV chord in Ab major and the V chord in F# major — the three major keys where C# appears naturally.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
C# on other instruments
C# – E# – G# — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
