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Piano chord · Minor triad

C♯ minor piano chord (C♯m)

C♯ minor is C♯ – E – G♯. Right hand fingers 1-3-5.

Root position
C♯mC♯ minor

C♯ – E – G♯

Built from the root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th. Keys show right-hand fingers: 1 = thumb.

C sharp minor in root position on the treble staff
C sharp minor in root position on the treble staff
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RelatedD♭ majorD♭ – F – A♭ScaleC♯ minor scaleOn piano, with right- and left-hand fingeringPracticePractice C♯mRandom prompts until the shape is automaticToolChord identifierPress keys and find out what you playedOn guitarC♯m guitar chordThe same chord as a guitar shapeAll chordsAll 43 piano chordsThe full major, minor and 7th chartPrintPiano chord chart PDFAll 43 chords, free

C♯, E and G♯, played together. Root position is lit on the keyboard above — press Play chord to hear it, or switch to an inversion.

Notes in C♯m: C♯, E and G♯

NoteInterval from the rootKey around middle C
C♯RootC♯4 · black key
EMinor 3rdE4 · white key
G♯Perfect 5thG♯4 · black key
  • Chord symbol: C♯m — C♯ minor
  • Formula: root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th (0 · 3 · 7 half steps (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♯m works

C♯ minor is black–white–black and one of the most comfortable minor shapes on the instrument — the two black keys give the hand something to hold on to. It is the relative minor of E major, so the two chords share a key signature and sit naturally side by side.

C♯m 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.

    Right hand1-3-5Left hand5-3-1

  • 1st inversion — E in the bass

    E–G♯–C♯ — the same three notes, reordered so E is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-5Left hand5-3-1

  • 2nd inversion — G♯ in the bass

    G♯–C♯–E — the same three notes, reordered so G♯ is lowest.

    Right hand1-3-5Left hand5-2-1

PositionNotes, lowest firstRight handLeft hand
Root positionC♯ – E – G♯1 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 1
1st inversionE – G♯ – C♯1 – 2 – 55 – 3 – 1
2nd inversionG♯ – C♯ – E1 – 3 – 55 – 2 – 1

1 = thumb, 5 = little finger. Notes listed from the lowest key up.

Common mistakes on C♯m

  • Spelling it D♭ minor. That key needs double flats, so C♯ minor is the version you will actually see.
  • Playing G natural instead of G♯.
  • Pressing C♯ with a collapsed thumb joint, which pushes the key sideways instead of down.

C♯ minor FAQ

What notes are in C♯ minor?

C♯, E and G♯: the root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th.

What fingers do I use for C♯ minor?

In root position, right hand 1-3-5 and left hand 5-3-1 (1 = thumb, 5 = little finger). 1st inversion: right hand 1-2-5, left hand 5-3-1; 2nd inversion: right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1.

What are the inversions of C♯ minor?

1st inversion: E–G♯–C♯. 2nd inversion: G♯–C♯–E. Same notes, a different one at the bottom.

C♯ minor piano chord diagram
C♯m piano chord chart: C♯, E, G♯ highlighted and labeled on the keyboard.

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.