Minor chord · C# root
C#m chord
- C#1
- E♭3
- G#5
The C# minor chord (also written Dbm, same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes C#, E, G#. It turns up 1 times in the 80 songs on this site, including Someone Like You.
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), so the same fingering works at any fret. It is rated intermediate. The darker, moodier counterpart of the major chord. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, C#m appears 1 times in 1 song, most often in the key of 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.
Drop the lowest fretted note (A string) and play the rest as a four- or five-string shape. You lose the bass note but keep every note that gives the chord its name, and there is no barre left to fight. 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.
C#m → A → E → B: the vi–IV–I–V of E major. Slow, four beats each, listening for the high E ringing.
In real songs
What songs use the C#m chord?
- chord changes
- 1
- songs
- 1
- common keys
- A
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, C#m appears 1 time in 1 song — most often in the key of A.
AC#mF#mD
Chord flow
What chord comes after C#m?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1560 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 6
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
At fret 6 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
