C♭5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭5 chord is a power chord built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭ and G♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as B5.
Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- Notes
- C♭ · G♭
- Formula
- 1 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 7
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Power Chord (5)
- Symbol
- C♭5
C♭5 on piano
2 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C♭5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭ and little finger on G♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♭ is a black key and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- G♭5
C♭5 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 4. String 2 rings open. Don't play string 6.
C♭ · G♭
Try C♭5 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C♭5 chord notes
Also known as B5
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♭(Gb) |
How to use the C♭5 chord
The C♭5 chord is built from a root and a perfect fifth. Start at the root C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭ and G♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Power chords drive punk, metal, grunge and hard rock, played on the low strings with distortion. Guitarists move a single shape up and down the neck, which is why riffs built from them transpose so easily.
How C♭5 differs from similar chords
C♭5 holds only the root and the fifth, so unlike C♭ or C♭m it has no third to decide its colour. With two notes it is the smallest chord in the library, often doubled with the root an octave up. The same C♭5 shape therefore fits major and minor songs alike.
Where C♭5 is used
No progression is shown for a power chord
C♭5 has no third, so it carries no major or minor function and cannot take a Roman numeral. Any progression printed here would belong to a different chord.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♭5 chord?
- The C♭5 chord contains C♭ and G♭ (Cb and Gb in plain text).
- Is the C♭5 chord major or minor?
- C♭5 is a power chord. Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- How do you play C♭5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭ and G♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard G♭ is a black key and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B.
- How do you play C♭5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 4. String 2 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the C♭5 chord?
- C♭5 is enharmonically equivalent to B5. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.