What notes are in the C Major chord?

The C Major chord contains C, E and G.

How do you play C Major on piano?

Place your fingers on C, E and G and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.

How do you play C Major on guitar?

C Major is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.

What chords work well with C Major?

C Major pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.

C Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes

The C Major chord is built on the root note C. Its notes are C, E and G.

Transpose

Quality

Short answer

Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.

Notes: C · E · G
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5
Semitones: 0 · 4 · 7
Note: C
Quality: Major
Symbol: C

C Major on piano

3 notes

View:

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

To play C Major on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C, middle finger on E and little finger on G. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.

C Major on guitar

View:

Guitar chord diagram of the C Major chord

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

On guitar, C Major is commonly played with the voicing shown above. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.

C Major chord notes

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	C
3	Major third	4	E
5	Perfect fifth	7	G

How to use the C Major chord

The C Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. Start at the root C and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C, E and G. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.

You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.

Songs that use the C Major chord

These well-known tracks all play the C Major chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.

1
Let It Be
The Beatles
2
No Woman No Cry
Bob Marley
3
Piano Man
Billy Joel
4
Every Breath You Take
The Police
5
With Or Without You
U2

Where C Major is used

A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.

As the tonic (I)C major

Home. The loop leaves C Major and keeps coming back to it.

As the IVG major

C Major is the step away from home that makes the return feel like a return.

As the VF major

C Major is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.

Scales that contain C

These scales include C as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.

C Major

C · D · E · F · G · A · B

C Lydian

C · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B

C Mixolydian

C · D · E · F · G · A · B♭

C Harmonic Major

C · D · E · F · G · A♭ · B

C Phrygian Dominant

C · D♭ · E · F · G · A♭ · B♭

C Gypsy Major

C · D♭ · E · F · G · A♭ · B

C Lydian Dominant

C · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B♭

C Persian

C · D♭ · E · F · G♭ · A♭ · B

C Hindu

C · D · E · F · G · A♭ · B♭

C Arabian

C · D · E · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭

C♯ Gypsy Major

C♯ · D · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A · B♯

C♯ Neapolitan Major

C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯

Questions people ask

What notes are in the C Major chord?: The C Major chord contains C, E and G.
Is the C Major chord major or minor?: C Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
How do you play C Major on piano?: Place your fingers on C, E and G and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.
How do you play C Major on guitar?: C Major is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.
What chords work well with C Major?: C Major pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.

Related chords, scales and keys

Chords

Scales

Keys