C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (2024)

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Dwight H.

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Learn the C# Guitar Chord Step-by-step

C# Major isn't what you'd call the most common of guitar chords. You'll mainly find it strewn about old bebop and jazz-rock tunes. That doesn't mean it's one you should skip over, however, as it will make the odd appearance in pop/rock and can add some color to your playing if you're composing your own songs. There are many ways to approach this sometimes tricky chord, and we've got some of the most prominent options laid out for your right here.

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How to Play C# Guitar Chord

We'll start in open position with some of the "easy" versions of the C# Major chord. You'll only need two or three fingers for these, and there aren't any tricky stretches you'll have to do:

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (1)

C# Guitar Chord Easy 2

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (2)
  • Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string/1st fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 1st string/1st fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/2nd fret

  • Mute strings 4, 5, and 6

C# Guitar Chord Easy 3

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (3)

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  • Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string/1st fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string/2nd fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/3rd fret

  • Mute strings 1, 5, and 6

C# Guitar Chord Alternate 1

Now, these voicings will provide you with a quick and easy way for getting a C# sound, but at the same time, they can end up sounding a bit weak, so if you want a more forceful C# chord in open position, you'll have to add some more fingers and employ some dextrous positioning:

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (4)
  • Use your first finger to cover strings 1, 2, and 3 on the 1st fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string/2nd fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/3rd fret

  • Place your 4th finger on the 5th string/4th fret

  • Mute string 6

C# Guitar Chord Alternate 2

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C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (5)
  • Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/3rd fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/4th fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/4th fret

  • Mute strings 2, 3, and 6

C# Guitar Chord Alternate 3

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (6)
  • Place your 1st finger on the 1st string/4th fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/6th fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/6th fret

  • Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/6th fret

  • Mute strings 5 and 6

C# Guitar Chord Alternate 4

For that last voicing, there's also a barre chord variant you can use to achieve a similar sound:

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (7)
  • Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 4th fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/6th fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/6th fret

  • Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/6th fret

  • Mute string 6

C# Guitar Chord Alternate 5

Now, here's an interesting twist you can employ as you go up the fretboard. Notice how you're placing fingers on strings 2, 3, and 4 at the 6th fret. For this next voicing, you will cover those notes with your 1st finger and use your other fingers to reach notes higher on the guitar:

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (8)
  • Use your 1st finger to cover strings 2, 3, and 4 at the 6th fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/8th fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 6th string/9th fret

  • Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/9th fret

C# Guitar Chord Alternate 6

You can go higher still to play the C# chord, to the 9th fret:

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (9)
  • Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/8th fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/9th fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/9th fret

  • Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/9th fret

  • Mute strings 3 and 4

C# Guitar Chord Major Barre

And lest we forget, there's the six-string barre chord version of the C# Major chord, on the 9th fret:

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (10)
  • Use your 1st finger the bar the strings at the 9th fret

  • Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/10th fret

  • Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/11th fret

  • Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/11th fret

Don't Forget to Practice!

Just like any other chord, you'll want to observe methodical, precise technique when executing the C# Major chord. Be sure to check out some of our other lessons on making your chords sound as flawless as possible, and as always, good luck, and happy practicing!

C# Guitar Chord | The 10 Easy Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (2024)

FAQs

What is a C# chord? ›

The C♯ major chord is a triad formed from a root (C♯), a major third (E♯) and a perfect fifth (G♯).

What notes are in the C# Major chord on a guitar? ›

The C# Major chord contains the following notes on each string of the guitar [x, C#, G#, C#, F, G#] where 'x' indicates that the string is muted . These notes correspond to the following intervals on each string of the guitar [x, R, P5, R, M3, P5].

What is C# vs C on guitar? ›

C# is a major chord, and it includes three notes: C#, E#, and G#. Being a half-step up from the C major chord, C# has a slightly brighter sound and is often used in various music genres, including blues, jazz, pop, and rock.

Why is C# minor so good? ›

C-sharp minor's distinctive sound and emotive potential make it a valuable key for composers and musicians, allowing for the exploration of deep emotional landscapes and the creation of music with a profound impact.

What is the easy version of C-sharp minor? ›

Finger placement for C#m chord

Place your index finger across all six strings at the 4th fret, creating a barre. Place your middle finger on the 5th fret of the 3rd (G) string. Place your ring finger on the 6th fret of the 5th (A) string. Place your pinky finger on the 6th fret of the 4th (D) string.

What is the C# minor chord on A guitar? ›

The C# Minor chord

Place the tip of your first finger on the fifth string at the fourth fret. Flatten your finger and press down to make a barre across to the first string. Put your second finger on the fifth fret of the second string. Put your third finger on the sixth fret of the fourth string.

Should I use C# or DB? ›

Db is C#'s identical twin.

As you may already know, C# is also called Db in a different context. This is because of a rule that you cannot have the same letter appear twice in a scale or chord. Here you will find all of the above tables with the alternative lettering of Db. But remember–they're all the same notes!

What tuning is C# guitar? ›

C# tuning (also known as Db tuning) is an alternative guitar tuning, where each string is one and half steps lower than in standard tuning, or one half-step lower than D tuning. The resulting notes are C# F# B E G# C# (Db Gb Cb Fb Ab Db).

How to play C# on guitar easy? ›

The C# Major chord

Put your second finger on the first fret of the first string. Put your third finger on the second fret of the second string. Put your fourth finger on the third fret of the fourth string. Strum only the thinnest four strings.

What guitar chords should I learn first? ›

The Top 7 Guitar Chords Every Beginner Should Learn
  • A Major Chord. The A major chord is one of the most basic chords you can learn on the guitar. ...
  • C Major Chord. The C major chord is one of the most popular chords – and for a good reason. ...
  • G Major Chord. ...
  • D Major Chord.
  • E Major Chord. ...
  • A Minor Chord. ...
  • B Minor Chord.
Apr 12, 2023

What are the 5 basic guitar chords? ›

The 5 chords we'll look at are the C major, A major, G major, E major, and D major. The reason we use all major chords is that the minor versions of any of these chords just require tiny adjustments.

What chord sounds like C#? ›

C# and Db (C sharp and D flat major) are the same chord, but their names change depending on the key they are played in.

What chords are in the key of C#? ›

Chords in the key of C♯ major (C♯ major diatonic chords)
  • I. C major C E G 1st inv 2nd inv 7th
  • ii. D minor D F A 1st inv 2nd inv 7th
  • iii. E minor E G B 1st inv 2nd inv 7th
  • IV. F major F A C 1st inv 2nd inv 7th
  • V. G major G B D 1st inv 2nd inv 7th
  • vi. A minor A C E ...
  • vii° B diminished B D F

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