If you find this site helpful please click "like" here...
C Guitar Chord is Part 3 in a 14 part series on Learn to Play Guitar Lessons. The C chord can be both major or minor and can be played in multiple places on the guitar. We will also learn all of the diatonic chords in the key of C Major. These are great guitar song chords.
NOTE: To review the major scale visit C Major Scale.
C MAJOR CHORD
A triad is a 3 note chord. You need a root, a 3rd and a 5th. Below is a C major scale.
Take the 1st note C, the 3rd note E and the 5th note G. This makes a C Major chord. Often the 1st note (also called the root or the tonic) and/or the 5th note is doubled. The 3rd is rarely doubled, but is in this case.
In the C chord below, the notes are as follows:
Top string - muted (not played)
5th string - C (root)
4th string - E (3rd)
3rd string - G (5th)
2nd string - C (root doubled)
1st string - E (3rd doubled or muted)
*muted - keeping it from sounding by gently pushing on string
C MINOR CHORD
A minor triad is still a 3 note chord. You need a root, a minor 3rd and a 5th. C minor is the relative minor (VI chord) in Eb Major.
Below is a C minor scale. The notes are: C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,Bb
Take the 1st note C, the 3rd note E which is now down a half step (or semi-tone) to Eb and the 5th note G. This makes a C minor chord.
In the C minor bar chord below the notes are as follows:
Here the 1st note (also called the root or the tonic) and the 5th note are doubled. The 3rd is only played once.
Top string - (not played)
5th string - C (root)
4th string - G (5th)
3rd string - C (root doubled)
2nd string - Eb (minor 3rd)
1st string - G (5th doubled)
C MINOR CHORD
DIATONIC CHORDS IN C MAJOR
The reason we begin with the key of C is that it is the first chord in the Circle of 5ths and has no sharps or flats.
To review music theory chords in a key visit C Major Chord and Chord Theory in the Music Theory section and return.
There are 7 chords in a key indicated by roman numerals. In C Major they are as follows:
C Major is the I Major chord
D minor is the II minor chord
E minor is the III minor chord
F Major is the IV Major chord
G Major is the V Major chord
A minor is the VI minor chord
B diminished is the VII diminished chord
C Major / I Major
D minor / II minor
E minor / III minor
F Major / IV Major
G Major / V Major
A minor / VI minor
B diminished / VII diminished
Thanks for viewing C Guitar Chord and Family. Now let's move to our next chord family in the Circle of 5ths, G. It introduces our first sharp, F#.
Continue to Part 4, G Guitar Chords
Return to Top of C Guitar Chord and Family
Return to Learn to Play Guitar Lessons
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.