C♯ minor chord on piano (C♯m)
C♯m is C♯, E and G♯. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
root position · C♯–E–G♯ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5
How to play C♯m on piano
Start on C♯, count 3 half steps up to E then 4 half steps up to G♯. Those 3 keys are C♯m.
- Right hand: 1 on C♯, 3 on E and 5 on G♯.
- Left hand: 5 on C♯, 3 on E and 1 on G♯.
- On the keyboard it's black, white and black keys, the same pattern as F♯m and G♯m, so your hand shape carries over.
C♯m inversions
- root position: C♯–E–G♯. Right hand 1-3-5.
- 1st inversion: E–G♯–C♯ (E in the bass). RH 1-2-5.
- 2nd inversion: G♯–C♯–E, G♯ lowest. RH 1-3-5.
Nobody plays every chord in root position. The inversions let C♯m sit wherever the previous chord left your hand.
Moving between C♯m and its neighbours
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 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♯ on piano
- E (IV in B major): C♯m to E: play E in 2nd inversion (B–E–G♯) and E and G♯ stay under the same fingers, while C♯ moves down to B. E on piano
- B (I in B major): C♯m to B: play B in root position (B–D♯–F♯), while C♯ moves down to B, E down to D♯ and G♯ down to F♯. B on piano
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 one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Getting C♯m under your fingers
Start with a broken chord, C♯ E G♯ E C♯, then play it solid. Then climb the inversions: C♯–E–G♯, then E–G♯–C♯, then G♯–C♯–E.
The keys of C♯m
C♯m is a minor chord, 1–♭3–5 from C♯. Root position, from the bottom: how C♯m is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E | white key | RH 3 · LH 3 | minor third |
| G♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | perfect fifth |
You may also see it as D♭m; nothing changes on the piano.
C♯m in context
In C♯ minor, i–VI–III–VII on piano is C♯m (C♯–E–G♯), A (A–C♯–E), E (E–G♯–B) and B (B–D♯–F♯). About the minor anthem.
In C♯ minor, i–iv–V on piano is C♯m (C♯–E–G♯), F♯m (F♯–A–C♯) and A♭ (A♭–C–E♭). About the minor cadence.
In C♯ minor, i–VII–VI–V on piano is C♯m (C♯–E–G♯), B (B–D♯–F♯), A (A–C♯–E) and A♭ (A♭–C–E♭). About the Andalusian cadence.
C♯m on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: C♯m on guitar and C♯m on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Next to try on piano
Other minor chords
C♯m on piano: questions
What notes are in C♯m on piano?
C♯, E and G♯: C♯ (black key), E (white key) and G♯ (black key). Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1.
How do you play C♯m on piano?
Press C♯, E and G♯ together (2 black, 1 white). Right hand: 1 on C♯, 3 on E and 5 on G♯.
What are the inversions of C♯m?
1st inversion (E–G♯–C♯) and 2nd inversion (G♯–C♯–E), after root position (C♯–E–G♯). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does C♯m look like on the keyboard?
black, white and black keys, the same pattern as F♯m and G♯m, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes C♯, E and G♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.