C♯ Minor Chord on Guitar
C♯m C♯ E G♯ 2 shapes Barre chord
Also written D♭ minor: the same frets under another name.
Chord diagrams
How to play C♯ Minor on guitar
The C♯ Minor chord (C♯m) is made of C♯, E, G♯ - 1 b3 5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the A-shape barre at fret 4 (x46654). Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
E-shape barre, fret 9 9(11)(11)999
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in C♯ Minor?
The C♯ Minor chord has 3 different notes: C♯, E, G♯. Root, minor third (3 half steps up), perfect fifth (7): only the third differs from the major chord. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: the e-shape barre, fret 9 sounds all six strings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| C♯ | Root | 0 |
| E | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| G♯ | Perfect 5th | 7 |
Chords that go with it
Chords in the key of C♯ minor
The seven chords built on the C♯ minor scale, with the easiest shape of each. i, iv and v are the backbone; VI, III and VII are the major chords borrowed from the relative major.
A progression to strum
- i - VI - III - VIIC♯m - A - E - B
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play C♯m on guitar?
The A-shape shape x46654: A string fret 4 (finger 1), D string fret 6 (finger 3), G string fret 6 (finger 4), B string fret 5 (finger 2), high E string fret 4 (finger 1); do not play low E. Your index finger lies flat across fret 4.
What notes are in the C♯ Minor chord?
The C♯ Minor chord (C♯m) is made of C♯, E, G♯. Its formula is 1 b3 5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play C♯m without a barre?
There is no common open shape for C♯m in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: a-shape barre, fret 4 (x46654) is the lowest on the neck. If a full barre is hard at first, play only the four highest strings of that shape - the root and the third are still there.
Is C♯ Minor the same as D♭ minor?
On the guitar, yes: the same frets. The name changes with the key - sharps in sharp keys, flats in flat keys.
Keep playing
Strum C♯m, then build a song around it
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