C major guitar chord (C)

How to play C

Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).

1. 1st finger (index) — 1st fret, B string
2. 2nd finger (middle) — 2nd fret, D string
3. 3rd finger (ring) — 3rd fret, A string

• Play open: G (3rd) and high E (1st) — strum them without fretting anything.
• Leave out: low E (6th) — start the strum below it, or damp it with the side of the thumb.

Notes and intervals in C

C is built from 3 notes: C, E and G.

• C — the root (R)
• E — the major 3rd (3)
• G — the perfect 5th (5)

Across the six strings the shape sounds C · E · G · C · E from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.

What C is used for

C is the guitar's reference chord: the I in the key of C, the IV in G, and the shape that Cadd9, C7 and Am all branch off. The fingers form a diagonal running from the 3rd fret of the A string down to the 1st fret of the B string — memorise that line rather than three separate positions.

Common mistakes with C

• The ring finger flattening onto the low E string. It should keep the 6th string quiet, not fret it — otherwise an unwanted G appears in the bass.
• Losing the open G string. Keep the middle finger arched over it; a dead 3rd string is the single most common reason C sounds thin.
• Reaching with a locked wrist. Let the wrist drop slightly forward so the ring finger reaches the 3rd fret without dragging the other two out of place.

Chords that go with C

Same-root variations first, then the chords a fourth and a fifth away — the shapes C is most often played alongside.

• C dominant 7
• C add9
• F major
• G major