As the tonic (I)C♯ major
Home. The loop leaves C♯ Major and keeps coming back to 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♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♭ Major.
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 notesView:
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. On the keyboard C♯ and G♯ are black keys and E♯ is white, the key you'd normally call F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♯1
- E♯3
- G♯5
C♯ Major on guitar
View:
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. This one is a barre at fret 9: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
C♯ · E♯ · G♯
Play C♯ Major on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C♯ Major chord notes
Also known as D♭ Major
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♯(C#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E♯(E#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♯(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.
In major keys C♯ is the V in F♯ major and the I in C♯ major; in minor keys it's the V in F♯ minor, the VII in D♯ minor and the III in A♯ minor. As the V of F♯ minor it takes its third, E♯, from the harmonic minor scale: the key's seventh degree, raised a half step.
How C♯ Major differs from similar chords
C♯ and C♯m share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in C♯, a minor third in C♯m. Add a major seventh and it becomes C♯maj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes C♯7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.
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.
- 1I Will Always Love You (key)Whitney Houston
- 2YellowColdplay
- 3TitaniumDavid Guetta
- 4RadioactiveImagine Dragons
- 5RoarKaty Perry
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.
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♯ Hindu
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A · B
F♯ Major
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯ · D♯ · E♯
F♯ Harmonic Minor
F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D · E♯
F♯ Melodic Minor
F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D♯ · E♯
F♯ Lydian
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯ · D♯ · E♯
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♯ Major chord?
- The C♯ Major chord contains C♯, E♯ and G♯ (C#, E# and G# in plain text).
- 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.
- What key is the C♯ Major chord in?
- In major keys C♯ is the V in F♯ major and the I in C♯ major; in minor keys it's the V in F♯ minor, the VII in D♯ minor and the III in A♯ minor. As the V of F♯ minor it takes its third, E♯, from the harmonic minor scale: the key's seventh degree, raised a half step.
- 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. On the keyboard C♯ and G♯ are black keys and E♯ is white, the key you'd normally call F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play C♯ Major on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 9: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
- What is another name for the C♯ Major chord?
- C♯ Major is enharmonically equivalent to D♭ Major. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.