C
How to play the C Major Chord on your piano or keyboard
From the chord symbol C we get the following information:
- The C chord has the note C as root note
- The C chord is a 3-note chord (a triad)
- The C chord is a major chord
Because C is a 3-note chord it also has 3 inversions:
- Root inversion
- 1st. inversion
- 2nd. inversion
C chord – Root inversion (basic inversion) looks like this: C – E – G
C chord – 1st. inversion (root note at the top of the chord): E – G – C
C chord – 2nd. inversion (root note in the middle of the chord): G – C – E
C chord – fingering:
Root inversion:
Finger | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Note | C | E | G |
1st. inversion:
Finger | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Note | E | G | C |
2nd. inversion:
Finger | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Note | G | C | E |
C chord – Closely related scales and harmonic functions:
The C chord is the 1st. step in the C major scale
Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Chord | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bm(b5) |
The C chord is the 4th. step in the G major scale
Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Chord | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F#m(b5) |
The C chord is the 5th. step in the F major scale
Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Chord | F | Gm | Am | Bb | C | Dm | Em(b5) |
The C chord is the 3rd. step in the A minor scale
Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Chord | Am | Bm(b5) | C | Dm | Em | F | G |