Piano chord · Major triad · Beginner
C major piano chord (C)
C, E and G, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
Notes in C: C, E and G
| Note | Interval from the root | Key around middle C |
|---|---|---|
| C | Root | C4 · white key |
| E | Major 3rd | E4 · white key |
| G | Perfect 5th | G4 · white key |
- Chord symbol: C — C major
- Formula: R · 3 · 5 (0 · 4 · 7 semitones from the root)
- Right hand fingering: 1-3-5 — thumb, middle finger and little finger
- Left hand fingering: 5-3-1, little finger on the root
How C works
C major is the chord every method book opens with: three white keys, no accidentals, and the tonic of the one key signature with nothing in it. Set the thumb on middle C and it falls under the hand as 1-3-5, which is why so many first pieces live here.
C inversions
An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then two inversions.
Root position
C–E–G — the root, C, is at the bottom.
1st inversion — E in the bass
E–G–C — the same three notes, reordered so E is lowest.
2nd inversion — G in the bass
G–C–E — the same three notes, reordered so G is lowest.
Common mistakes on C
- Letting the thumb creep off middle C so the whole chord shifts up to D–F–A.
- Playing it with fingers 1-2-3, which cramps the hand and leaves nothing to reach the fifth with.
- Dropping the wrist below the key surface, so the fingers pull at the keys instead of pressing down through them.
Piano chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.