Minor chord · C# root
C#m chord
- C#1
- E♭3
- G#5
The C# minor chord (also called the Dbm chord — same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes C#, E, G#. It turns up 3 times in the 104 songs on this site, including Someone Like You and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the C#m chord?
The C#m chord (C# minor) is a minor chord built from three notes: C#, E, G# — the 1–♭3–5 of the C# scale, 3 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 4 (x-4-6-6-5-4); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. The darker, moodier counterpart of the major chord. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, C#m appears 3 times in 2 songs, most often in the keys of Am and A, and the chord it most often moves to is F#m. 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#m 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.
- Press the D string at fret 6 with your ring finger.
- Press the G string at fret 6 with your pinky finger.
- Press the B string at fret 5 with your middle finger.
- 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-6-6-5-4
How do you make C#m sound clean?
Reaching C#m at the 4th fret encourages squeezing from the thumb rather than the arm.
Loop C#m, A, E and B, the vi–IV–I–V of E major. Give each four beats and check the first string against each diagram rather than leaving it open throughout.
In real songs
What songs use the C#m chord?
- chord changes
- 3
- songs
- 2
- common keys
- Am · A
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, C#m appears 3 times in 2 songs — most often in the keys of Am and A.
AC#mF#mD
AC#mF#mC#m
Chord flow
What chord comes after C#m?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1879 chord changes are behind these figures.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play C#m up the neck?
3 more positions below. These are the same notes in a different part of the neck. Choosing the position closest to the chord you just played is what stops your hand jumping between changes.
Position 2 · Fret 5
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
At fret 5 the neck is still wide enough to keep your thumb behind it, which gives the fingers more reach than a thumb-over grip.
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#m
C#m is spelled C# – E – G# — the 1 – ♭3 – 5 of the C# scale, which is the root plus 3 semitones, 7 semitones. The darker, moodier counterpart of the major chord.
The flattened third is what makes it minor, so if C#m sounds wrong the third is almost always the note being muted — check the string carrying it before you change anything else.
What key is the C#m chord in?
C#m is the i chord in C# minor, the ii chord in B major and the vi chord in E major — the three keys where C#m appears naturally.
the home chord of the minor key
the gentle predominant — often before the V
the relative minor — the major key’s shadow
C#m 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
