The Key of C Major for Guitar
The key of C major has the notes C D E F G A B, no sharps or flats, and its relative minor is A minor.
- Chords
- C Dm Em F G Am Bdim
- Main three
- C F G
- Key signature of C major
- no sharps or flats
Chords in the key
Chords in C major · moved from C major · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: C major (page key)No capo: you play C major shapes as written.
Fretboard · C major scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (C). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · I–V–vi–IV
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in C major, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | C | C E G |
| ii | Dm | D F A |
| iii | Em | E G B |
| IV | F | F A C |
| V | G | G B D |
| vi | Am | A C E |
| vii° | Bdim | B D F |
Seventh chords in C major
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Cmaj7 | C E G B |
| ii7 | Dm7 | D F A C |
| iii7 | Em7 | E G B D |
| IVmaj7 | Fmaj7 | F A C E |
| V7 | G7 | G B D F |
| vi7 | Am7 | A C E G |
| viiø7 | Bm7♭5 | B D F A |
Shapes for the 7th chords of C major: Am7 chord and Cmaj7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why C major has no sharps or flats
Every major scale uses the same step pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start that pattern on C and the notes land on C D E F G A B, so the key needs no sharps or flats. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
C major scale in first position
Every note of C major in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, C on the 5th string, fret 3, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: C major scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in C on guitar
C major has no sharps or flats, so all six open strings, E A D G B E, are notes of the key. C, Dm, Em, G and Am are open chords; F is the one most beginners stall on, and Bdim is rare in songs.
Three ways round F: Fmaj7 (x x 3 2 1 0) needs no barre and suits most pop and folk songs in C; the small F (x x 3 2 1 1) barres two strings with the index finger; the full barre at fret 1 comes last. Where a song wants the vii° chord, G7 (3 2 0 0 0 1) usually does the job: it contains B, D and F, the notes of Bdim, plus G in the bass.
C and Am share two fingers, and C/G (3 3 2 0 1 0) puts G in the bass for alternating-bass picking: strike the A string, then the low E string, on beats 1 and 3.
Common progressions in C major
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| I–V–vi–IV | C G Am F | C G Am F is the four-chord loop most people try first in C. Only F is hard; Fmaj7 stands in for it until the barre is clean. |
| I–vi–IV–V | C Am F G | From C to Am only the ring finger moves (A string fret 3 to G string fret 2), so this doo-wop loop flows even at speed. |
| I–IV–V–I | C F G C | Folk and hymn changes in C. Play the small F (x x 3 2 1 1) and nothing needs a full barre. |
| ii–V–I | Dm G C C | Dm, G, C: a ii–V–I with three open chords, handy for learning jazz cadences without a single barre. |
| vi–IV–I–V | Am F C G | Am F C G: the same four chords as the first loop, started on the relative minor for a darker colour. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and C major
Capo 3 with A shapes and capo 5 with G shapes also sound in C, but open C shapes ring fuller, so the capo is mostly used the other way: C shapes with capo 2 sound in D, with capo 5 in F, with capo 7 in G.
| Capo | C shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | D♭ major |
| Fret 2 | D major |
| Fret 3 | E♭ major |
| Fret 4 | E major |
| Fret 5 | F major |
| Fret 6 | F♯ major |
| Fret 7 | G major |
Song in another key? Capo for C major songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative minor: A minor
A minor uses the same seven notes, starting on A, the 6th note of the scale. Its chord is the vi in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Songs in C major
- Let It Be · The Beatles
- Imagine · John Lennon
Recorded in C. Play them with the open C shapes, no capo.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of A minorrelative
- The key of C minorparallel
- The key of F majorcircle, one step left
- The key of G majorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about C major
What chords are in the key of C major?
C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and Bdim. C (I), F (IV) and G (V) are the main three, and Am is the home chord of the relative minor.
Does C major have any sharps or flats?
No. Starting the major step pattern on C lands only on natural notes, C D E F G A B. It is the only major key with an empty key signature.
What is the easiest F chord for songs in C?
Fmaj7 (x x 3 2 1 0) has no barre and fits most songs in C. Next step is the small F (x x 3 2 1 1), then the full barre at fret 1.
What is the relative minor of C major?
A minor. It uses the same seven natural notes and the same chords; a song in A minor resolves to Am instead of C.
Next steps in C major
- Progressions in C majorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- C major pentatonicfive notes for melodies and fills
- Open C (CGCGCE)the open strings ring a C chord
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along