Guitar chord · Triads
C♯ minor chord on guitar
x42120 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play C♯m on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Darker and more melancholy than major, but just as stable.
C♯m is the ii chord in B major, iii in A major and vi in E major. In minor keys: i in C♯ minor and iv in G♯ minor.
- Notes
- C♯EG♯
- Formula
- 1♭35
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · perfect 5th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Open position
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): 4th fret, pinky finger (4) C♯
- 4th string (D): 2nd fret, middle finger (2) E
- 3rd string (G): 1st fret, index finger (1) G♯
- 2nd string (B): 2nd fret, ring finger (3) C♯
- 1st string (high E): play open E
Tablature
e|--0---| B|--2---| G|--1---| D|--2---| A|--4---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every C♯m note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing C♯m on guitar
x46654 is the A-minor shape barred at the 4th fret.
You’ll find C♯m in common progressions such as C♯m–A–E–B (the minor-feel pop progression in E major), C♯m–F♯m–G♯–C♯m (the minor cadence in C♯ minor) and C♯m–B–A–G♯ (the Andalusian cadence in C♯ minor).
