C guitar chord

C major · Cmaj · CM

The C guitar chord is played x32010 in open position. Its notes are C, E and G.

C open chord (x32010)

Fingering: x32010
Fingers: – 3 2 – 1 –
Difficulty: Easy
Position: open position

C barre chord, 3rd fret (335553)

Fingering: 335553
Fingers: 1 1 2 3 4 1
Difficulty: Hard
Position: barre chord, 3rd fret

C chord at the 5th fret (xx5558)

Fingering: xx5558
Fingers: – – 1 1 1 4
Difficulty: Medium
Position: 5th fret

C barre chord, 8th fret (8-10-10-9-8-8)

Fingering: 8-10-10-9-8-8
Fingers: 1 3 4 2 1 1
Difficulty: Hard
Position: barre chord, 8th fret

PNG PDF

Notes in the C major chord

The C chord is made of C · E · G. Its formula is 1–3–5.

Note	Degree	Interval from C
C	1	root
E	3	major third
G	5	perfect fifth

How to play the C guitar chord

Third finger on the 3rd fret of the A string, second finger on the 2nd fret of the D string, first finger on the 1st fret of the B string. The G and high E strings ring open.

Strum from the A string. The three fingers form a diagonal line, one string apart and one fret apart, which makes the shape easy to find again.

Why your C chord buzzes or sounds muted

Two open strings sit under your hand here. If the G string is dead, your second finger is lying too flat; if the high E is dead, the underside of your first finger is touching it. Curl the knuckles so each fingertip comes straight down.

The low E string is not played. An open low E under a C chord is a chord tone, but it makes the chord sound muddy.

C barre chord

C has 2 barre shapes here: 335553 (barre at the 3rd fret) and 8-10-10-9-8-8 (barre at the 8th fret).

A barre shape has no open strings, so it moves. Slide any of them up one fret and you are playing C# (Db).

C open chord

The open C chord is x32010. It uses the open G and high E strings, which is why it rings longer than the shapes higher up the neck.

Songs that use C

Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan): G D Am C
Let It Be (The Beatles): C G Am F
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd): D C G
Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison): G C D Em
House of the Rising Sun (The Animals): Am C D F E
Riptide (Vance Joy): Am G C F
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen): C Am F G E7
Zombie (The Cranberries): Em C G D
Leaving on a Jet Plane (John Denver): G C D
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd): Em7 G A7sus4 C D Am
Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show): G D Em C
Hey Joe (Jimi Hendrix): C G D A E
Losing My Religion (R.E.M.): Am Em Dm G F C
Creep (Radiohead): G B C Cm
La Bamba (Ritchie Valens): C F G
Heart of Gold (Neil Young): Em C D G
Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits): Dm C Bb A F
Nothing Else Matters (Metallica): Em D C G B7 Am
Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan): G C D
Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival): C G Am F
Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Am F C G Dm
Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton): G D C Em
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding): G B C A E
No Woman, No Cry (Bob Marley): C G Am F
Redemption Song (Bob Marley): G Em C Am D
Lean on Me (Bill Withers): C F G
Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash): G C D
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles): Em C
Imagine (John Lennon): C Cmaj7 F Am Dm G E7

Chord names only, as the songs are usually charted for guitar. Recordings may use a capo or another key.

Keys with the C chord

C is the I chord in C major, V chord in F major and IV chord in G major. In minor keys it is the III chord in A minor, VII chord in D minor and VI chord in E minor.

All major guitar chords

Every C chord on guitar

C guitar chord questions

How do you play a C chord on guitar?

Play x32010, reading from the low E string to the high E string. An x means the string is not played and a 0 means it rings open. The fingers used are - 3 2 - 1 -.

What notes are in the C chord?

The C major chord has 3 notes: C, E and G. Its formula is 1–3–5, counted from the C major scale.

What keys is the C chord in?