C chords on guitar
Every C chord on guitar: major, minor, sevenths and more, with the easiest shape for each.
C major shapes ranked by difficulty
Each row lists the note on all six strings, from the 6th string to the 1st.
Shape 1 · easiestx32010 · no barre 6th string E: muted · 5th string A: C · 4th string D: E · 3rd string G: G · 2nd string B: C · 1st string E: E
Shape 28-10-10-9-8-8 · barre 6th string E: C · 5th string A: G · 4th string D: C · 3rd string G: E · 2nd string B: G · 1st string E: C
Shape 3875558 · barre 6th string E: C · 5th string A: E · 4th string D: G · 3rd string G: C · 2nd string B: E · 1st string E: C
Shape 4 · hardestx-15-14-12-13-12 · barre 6th string E: muted · 5th string A: C · 4th string D: E · 3rd string G: G · 2nd string B: C · 1st string E: E
C major without a barre
Other C chords compared with C major
Notes and the selected shape-to-shape fingering change for each chord.
| Chord | Notes | Compared with C | Shape change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cm | C · Eb · G | Shared notes: C, G; E changes to Eb. | x32010 → x35543 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 2 frets up. |
| C7 | C · E · G · Bb | Shared notes: C, E, G; Adds Bb. | x32010 → x32310 3 fingers stay in place: index finger on the B string at fret 1; middle finger on the D string at fret 2; ring finger on the A string at fret 3. |
| Cmaj7 | C · E · G · B | Shared notes: C, E, G; Adds B. | x32010 → x32000 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 1 fret up. |
| Cm7 | C · Eb · G · Bb | Shared notes: C, G; Drops E; adds Eb, Bb. | x32010 → x35343 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 2 frets up. |
| Csus2 | C · D · G | Shared notes: C, G; E changes to D. | x32010 → x30033 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 2 frets. |
| Csus4 | C · F · G | Shared notes: C, G; E changes to F. | x32010 → x33011 2 fingers stay in place: index finger on the B string at fret 1; ring finger on the A string at fret 3. |
| Cadd9 | C · E · G · D | Shared notes: C, E, G; Adds D. | x32010 → x30030 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 2 frets up. |
| Cdim | C · Eb · Gb | Shared notes: C; E, G change to Eb, Gb. | x32010 → x34542 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 1 fret up. |
| Caug | C · E · G# | Shared notes: C, E; G changes to G#. | x32010 → x32110 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 1 fret. |
Chords that share the most keys with C
Each count lists major and minor keys containing both chords.
4 of the 10 C chords on guitar have an easy shape (no barre, three fingers or fewer, first four frets): Cmaj7, Cadd9, C, Csus2.