C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (2024)

Written by

Dwight H.

April 6, 2023

Fact-checked by

Paul Mazzola

C Major Guitar Chord (12 Easy Ways To Play with Charts)

The C Major chord has something of a dual nature. It's one of the most commonly seen chords and a staple of every guitarists arsenal, but it can also be a difficult one for beginners to pull off -- especially if they haven't built up the dexterity and strength in their hands to make the necessary stretch across strings.

There's more than one way to play this all-important chord, and we'll be showing you the 10 best variations of C Major in today's lesson.

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How to Play C Major Guitar Chord

The "normal" way to play C Major, in open position, involves three fingers on your fretting hand and requires you to make a little bit of a stretch from the first fret up to the third fret across several strings:

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (1)

Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string/1st fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/2nd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/3rd fret
Play strings 1 and 3 open
See Also
C Chord on the Guitar (C Major) - 10 Ways to Play (and Some Tips/Theory)How to play the C chord on guitar Learn to Play the C Chord on Guitar How to Play the C Guitar Chord | National Guitar Academy
Mute string 6

C Major Guitar Chord Four-Finger

You can also put a slight twist on this voicing, incorporating your 4th finger into the mix for a different sound:

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Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string/1st fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/2nd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/3rd fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/3rd fret
Play string 3 open
Mute string 6

C Major Guitar Chord #1

There are several other ways to play C Major in open position, however, such as:

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (3)

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Use your 1st finger to bar the strings on the 3rd fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/5th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/5th fret
Mute string 6

C Major Guitar Chord #2

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (4)

Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/2nd fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/3rd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/3rd fret
Mute strings 2, 3, and 6
See Also
C Guitar Chord Guide: 9 Variations & How to Play (2024) - Guitar Lobby

C Major Guitar Chord 5th Fret

Those open position variants require a fair deal of dexterity, but believe it or not, they aren't the biggest stretch you can make to play C Major. If you're looking for a challenge, you might instead try this voicing on the 5th fret on for size:

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Use your 1st finger to cover strings 2, 3, and 4 at the 5th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/7th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 6th string/8th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/8th fret

C Major Guitar Chord 7th Fret #1

For a brighter sounding C Major chord, you'll want to move further up the fretboard. You'll find three voicings you can play at the 7th fret:

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (6)

Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/7th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/8th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/10th fret
Play string 3 open
Mute strings 1 and 2

C Major Guitar Chord 7th Fret #2

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (7)

Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/7th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/8th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/8th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/8th fret
Mute strings 3 and 4

C Major Guitar Chord 7th Fret #3

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (8)

Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/7th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/8th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/8th fret
Mute strings 1, 3, and 4

C Major Guitar 6-String Barre

Head higher up the fretboard, to the 8th fret, and you can play C Major as a 6-string barre chord:

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (9)

Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 8th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/9th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/10th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/10th fret

C Major Guitar Non-Barre #1

You also have two non-barre options available to you at the 8th fret:

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (10)

Place your 1st finger on the 6th string/8th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string/8th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/9th fret
Mute strings 1, 4, and 5

C Major Guitar Non-Barre #2

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (11)

Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string/8th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/9th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/10th fret
Mute strings 1, 5, and 6

C Major Guitar Advanced

That last one is especially tricky, since you'll need hit only three strings (and mute all others), but you have one more option left for playing C Major just a little higher on the fretboard:

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (12)

Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/10th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/12th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/12th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/13th fret
Mute strings 5 and 6

Practice Hard to Master This Chord

Some of these C Major voicings are difficult to master, but this is a very essential chord, so be sure to work hard at adding as many to your repertoire as possible. Good luck, and as always, happy practicing!

C Guitar Chord | The 12 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) // Lessons.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the alternate way to play the C chord? ›

Another way to play the C chord is in the 3rd position. The chord starts with the bass note on the 3rd fret, which is why this is called the 3rd position, and iIt takes a different finger placement up the neck of your guitar.

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How to improve C chords on guitar? ›

Effective Tips For The C Guitar Chord

Bring your neck higher. The first thing you can do is bring the neck of your guitar up higher. ...
Get your fingers behind the frets. ...
Use the tips of your fingers. ...
Bring your elbow in. ...
Don't kink your wrist. ...
Experiment with various pressure. ...
Put one finger on at a time. ...
Play it clean.

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Aug 26, 2021

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How many ways to play C on guitar? ›

Four Chord Shapes To Play C Major

Open Position. The most common and perhaps the first shape any beginner learns is the C Major in the open position. ...
C Barre Chord on the 3rd Fret (A Shape) ...
C Barre Chord on the 8th Fret (E Shape) ...
C Major Starting At the 8th Fret.

Feb 14, 2024

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Why do I struggle with the C chord? ›

The main reason is due to the stretch that all three fingers need to make. Most chord shapes you have tackled up to now will span two frets, whilst the C major chord spans 3. As well as that we need to worry about the open G and E string ringing out AND trying not to play the low E string.

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What are the C chord modes? ›

Play THIS Mode Over THAT Chord

Mode	Notes (Play these…)	Chords (…over these!)
C Ionian	C-D-E-F-G-A-B	C, C6, Cmaj7, Cmaj9, Cmaj11, Cmaj13
C Dorian	C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb	Cm, Cm6, Cm7, Cm9, Cm11, Cm13
C Phrygian	C-Db-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb	Cm, Cmb6, Cm7, Db/C
C Lydian	C-D-E-F#-G-A-B	C, Cmaj6, Cmaj7, Cmaj9, Cmaj#11, Cmaj13#11, D7/C

3 more rows

Dec 18, 2023

What is the chord replacement for C? ›

The Chord Family Substitution Technique treats diatonic chords sharing two common tones as interchangeable. In the C Major Chord Family, A minor (vi) and E minor (iii) can substitute for C Major (I). As the illustration demonstrates, A minor (vi) and E minor (iii) share two common tones with C Major (I).

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Why can't I get the C chord on guitar? ›

Remember: this chord requires that you stretch a little bit more with the third finger. Just make sure that, eventually, you can get that third finger right behind the third fret. Another thing to keep in mind is that you really need to arch your fingers when playing this chord.

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How do you practice C major chords? ›

With a C Major chord in the left hand, the right hand plays the thumb, then index, then middle, then ring. Then we repeat this in a steady rhythm. As mentioned above, our hands work best when we use proper form, positioning, and movements. But even a beginner guitarist can play this pattern slowly.

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Why does my C chord not sound right? ›

Not Pressing Hard Enough: This can cause a muted or buzzing sound. Ensure you're pressing down firmly on the strings. Incorrect Finger Placement: Ensure your fingers are in the correct position and not touching other strings. Strumming All the Strings: Remember to avoid the low E string when playing the C chord.

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What is the formula for C major on guitar? ›

To play the C major scale ascending, start with the root note C and play the notes in order: C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C. Then, go right back down the scale: B - A - G- F- E - D, until you've made your way back to the lower C.

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What is the alternative to the C chord on a guitar? ›

You can use Cmaj7 as an alternative to the C chord if you're having trouble with accidentally muting the open G string with your finger.

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Is the C chord difficult? ›

It's not the easiest one, but it's a must!

The C Chord on guitar can be challenging for some hands because of the finger stretch involved. But it's a very commonly-used chord, so essential to learn. In this lesson, we'll learn how to play the C Chord on guitar!