C♯ minor chord on guitar (C♯m)

C♯m is C♯, E and G♯. The usual shape is x-4-6-6-5-4, a barre at the 4th fret. Tap Play, then slow it down.

How to play C♯m on guitar

Shape 1, x-4-6-6-5-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

1. Barre the 4th fret with your index finger, covering the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string.
2. Put your middle finger on the B string at the 5th fret, which is E.
3. Put your ring finger on the D string at the 6th fret, which is G♯.
4. Put your pinky finger on the G string at the 6th fret, which is C♯.
5. Skip the low E string and begin the strum from the A string.

• Keep the barre just behind the fret wire, not in the middle of the fret. Your thumb goes behind the neck, roughly opposite your middle finger.
• The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.

Other ways to play C♯m

• x-4-2-1-2-x: movable shape, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
• 9-11-11-9-9-9: barre shape at the 9th fret, medium. The root is on the low E string, so you can slide this shape to play any minor chord.

Playing C♯m with a capo

A capo turns an open chord into C♯m: capo on the 4th fret and play the open Am shape (x-0-2-2-1-0). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Changing from C♯m to the chords around it

These are the changes you'll meet most often with C♯m, using the first shape of each chord.

• F♯ (V in B major): C♯m (x-4-6-6-5-4) 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. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. C♯ carries over from one chord to the other. F♯ on guitar
• E (IV in B major): C♯m (x-4-6-6-5-4) to E (0-2-2-1-0-0): the index finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. E and G♯ carry over from one chord to the other. E on guitar
• B (I in B major): C♯m (x-4-6-6-5-4) to B (x-2-4-4-4-2): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 4th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. B on guitar

C♯m has the gentle, slightly melancholy sound of a minor chord. A minor chord softens a progression. Try C♯m right after C♯ major to hear how much one note changes. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Getting C♯m under your fingers

Arpeggiate x-4-6-6-5-4 from the lowest string: C♯, G♯, C♯, E, G♯. Then strum it and listen for the same 5 notes together. Then switch to x-4-2-1-2-x and back four times without looking at your hand.

You may also see it as D♭m; nothing changes on the guitar.

Keys and progressions with C♯m

• ii in B major
• iii in A major
• vi in E major
• i in C♯ minor
• iv in G♯ minor
• v in F♯ minor

In C♯ minor, i–VI–III–VII on guitar is C♯m (x-4-6-6-5-4), A (x-0-2-2-2-0), E (0-2-2-1-0-0) and B (x-2-4-4-4-2). About the minor anthem.

In C♯ minor, i–iv–V on guitar is C♯m (x-4-6-6-5-4), F♯m (2-4-4-2-2-2) and A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4). About the minor cadence.

In C♯ minor, i–VII–VI–V on guitar is C♯m (x-4-6-6-5-4), B (x-2-4-4-4-2), A (x-0-2-2-2-0) and A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4). About the Andalusian cadence.

C♯m on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try C♯m on ukulele or C♯m on piano, or compare them on the C♯m chord page.

Next to try on guitar

• C♯
• C♯m7
• C♯m6
• C♯sus2
• C♯sus4
• C♯dim

Other minor chords

• Cm
• Dm
• E♭m
• Em
• Fm
• F♯m
• Gm
• G♯m
• Am
• B♭m
• Bm

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside C♯m. Updated September 2026. Print this chord