C♯ major chord (C♯)
C♯ is C♯, E♯ and G♯: 1–3–5 built on C♯. See and hear it on all three instruments below.
On guitar
x-4-6-6-6-4 · barre · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- x-4-6-6-6-4
C♯ on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · C♯–E♯–G♯ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
C♯ on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
6-5-4-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- 6-5-4-4
C♯ and the chords around it
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- C♯ → F♯ (IV in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. C♯ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: C♯ to F♯: play F♯ in 2nd inversion (C♯–F♯–A♯) and C♯ stays under the same finger, while E♯ moves up to F♯ and G♯ up to A♯. F♯ - C♯ → A♭ (V in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 5th fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 6th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. G♯ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: C♯ to A♭: play A♭ in 1st inversion (C–E♭–A♭) and A♭ stays under the same finger, while C♯ moves down to C and E♯ down to E♭. A♭ - C♯ → B♭m (vi in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4) to B♭m (x-1-3-3-2-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the B string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share C♯ and E♯, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: C♯ to B♭m: play B♭m in 1st inversion (D♭–F–B♭) and D♭ and F stay under the same fingers, while G♯ moves up to B♭. B♭m
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, C shape; capo 4, A shape; capo 6, G shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, C shape; capo 3, B♭ shape; capo 4, A shape; capo 6, G shape.
How C♯ is built
C♯ has the stable, upbeat sound of every major triad. Play it after a minor chord and you'll hear the light come back in.
Count keys (black and white) from C♯: 4 half steps up to E♯ then 3 half steps up to G♯. You may also see it as D♭: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | root | 0 | |
| E♯ | major third | 4 | |
| G♯ | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with C♯
In major keys, C♯ is I in D♭ major, IV in A♭ major and V in F♯ major. In minor keys it is III in B♭ minor, V in F♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in F minor and VII in E♭ minor.
D♭ – A♭ – B♭m – G♭: that's I–V–vi–IV in the key of D♭ major. the pop progression
In D♭ major, I–IV–V is D♭ – G♭ – A♭ – D♭. the three-chord progression
I–vi–IV–V in D♭ major runs D♭ – B♭m – G♭ – A♭. the 50s progression
Play vi–IV–I–V in D♭ major and you get B♭m – G♭ – D♭ – A♭. the minor-feel pop loop
Chords close to C♯
- C♯ and C♯m differ by one note: E♯ in C♯, E in C♯m. They share C♯ and G♯. C♯m
- C♯ and B♭m differ by one note: G♯ in C♯, B♭ in B♭m. They share C♯ and E♯. B♭m
Chords that share most of their notes with C♯: C♯7, C♯maj7, C♯add9, C♯6, B♭m7, C♯9.
Every C♯ chord
C♯ major chord: questions
What notes are in the C♯ major chord?
C♯, E♯ and G♯. C♯ is built 1–3–5 from C♯: E♯ is the major third and G♯ is the perfect fifth.
How do you play C♯ on guitar?
The usual shape is x-4-6-6-6-4 (barre). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play C♯ on piano?
Play C♯, E♯ and G♯ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play C♯ on ukulele?
6-5-4-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is C♯ in?
In major keys, C♯ is I in D♭ major, IV in A♭ major and V in F♯ major. In minor keys it is III in B♭ minor, V in F♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in F minor and VII in E♭ minor.
What's the difference between C♯ and C♯m?
C♯ and C♯m differ by one note: E♯ in C♯, E in C♯m. They share C♯ and G♯.
All three instruments are drawn and played from C♯, E♯ and G♯ by the same engine. Updated September 2026.