C Chords On Guitar - Overview

C chords

C chords for guitar in different categories including major, minor and dominant chords.

C major

C

C major is often commonly referred to only C. The notes in the chord are C, E, G. The bass and root note is placed on the 5th string. The presented fingering consists of a doubled root, a doubled third and a fifth interval. All C Major chords

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	M7
C	E	G

Root – the first note in the chord and the same as the tonic in the major scale. M2 – Major 2nd interval, the second note in the major scale. M3 – Major 3rd interval, the third note in the major scale. P4 – Perfect 4th interval, the fourth note in the major scale. P5 – Perfect 5th interval, the fifth note in the major scale. M6 – Major 6th interval, the sixth note in the major scale. M7 – Major 7th interval, the seventh note in the major scale.

C minor

Cm

C minor is often abbreviated Cm. The notes in the chord are C, Eb, G. The root note is placed on the 5th string. A tip is to play this chord with a capo instead, for example capo 3: X35543. All Cm chords

The notes and intervals in the chord

C minor degrees

Root	M2	m3	P4	P5	m6	m7
C	Eb	G

Root – the first note in the chord and the same as the tonic in the minor scale. M2 – Major 2nd interval, the second note in the minor scale. M3 – Minor 3rd interval, the third note in the minor scale. P4 – Perfect 4th interval, the fourth note in the minor scale. P5 – Perfect 5th interval, the fifth note in the minor scale. m6 – Minor 6th interval, the sixth note in the minor scale. M7 – Minor 7th interval, the seventh note in the minor scale.

C dominant 7th

C7

C dominant 7th is often abbreviated C7. The notes in the chord are C, E, G, Bb. The chord shape is also movable with the 1st string omitted. All C7 chords

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	b7
C	E	G	Bb

b7 – flattened 7th, the seventh note in the major scale lowered by a half-step.

C major 7th

Cmaj7

C major 7th is often abbreviated Cmaj7. The notes in the chord are C, E, G, B. The root note is placed on the 5th string. All Cmaj7 chords

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	M7
C	E	G	B

C minor 7th

Cm7

C minor 7th is often abbreviated Cm7. The notes in the chord are C, Eb, G, Bb. The root note is placed on the 5th string. A tip is to play this chord with a capo instead, for example capo 3: X35343. All Cm7 chords

The notes and intervals in the chord

C minor degrees

Root	M2	m3	P4	P5	m6	m7
C	Eb	G	Bb

C 6th

C6

C 6th is commonly written C6. The notes in the chord are C, E, G, A. The bass and root note is placed on the 5th string. The 5th is omitted in the pictured chord version.

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	M7
C	E	G	A

C minor 6th

Cm6

C minor 6th is often abbreviated Cm6. The notes in the chord are C, Eb, G, A. The pictured chord is a voicing and the root note is placed on the 2nd string.

The notes and intervals in the chord

C minor/major degrees

Root	M2	m3	P4	P5	M6	m7
C	Eb	G	A

C 9th

C9

C 9th is commonly written C9. The notes in the chord are C, E, G, Bb, D. The root note is placed on the 5th string. The chord can also be played with only four strings fretted as X3233X.

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	b7	Oct	M9
C	E	G	Bb	D

Oct – Octave, same note one ocatave higher. M9 – Major 9th interval, a duplication of the major second interval but above the octave.

C major 9th

Cmaj9

C major 9th is often abbreviated Cmaj9. The notes in the chord are C, E, G, B, D. The 5th is omitted in the pictured chord version. An option with the 5th included is X35430.

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	M7	Oct	M9
C	E	G	B	D

C minor 9th

Cm9

C minor 9th is often abbreviated Cm9. The notes in the chord are C, Eb, G, Bb, D. The 5th is omitted in the pictured chord version.

The notes and intervals in the chord

C minor degrees

Root	M2	m3	P4	P5	m6	m7	Oct	M9
C	Eb	G	Bb	D

C 11th

C11

C 11th is commonly written C11. The notes in the chord are C, E, G, Bb, D, F. The root note is placed on the 8th string. The third, the fifth and/or the ninth is often omitted

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	b7	Oct	M9	M10	P11
C	E	G	Bb	D	F

M10 – Major 10th interval, a duplication of the major third interval but above the octave. P11 – Perfect 11th interval, a duplication of the perfect 4th interval but above the octave.

C minor 11th

Cm11

C minor 11th is often abbreviated Cm11. The notes in the chord are C, Eb, G, Bb, D, F. The 5th is omitted in the pictured chord version.

The notes and intervals in the chord

C minor degrees

Root	M2	m3	P4	P5	m6	m7	Oct	M9	m10	P11
C	Eb	G	Bb	D	F

C 13th

C13

C 13th is commonly written C13. The notes in the chord are C, E, G, Bb, D, F, A. The root note is placed on the 3rd string. The third, the fifth, the ninth and/or the eleventh is often omitted

The notes and intervals in the chord

C major degrees

Root	M2	M3	P4	P5	M6	b7	Oct	M9	M10	P11
C	E	G	Bb	D	F

C minor 13th

Cm13

C minor 13th is often abbreviated Cm13. The notes in the chord are C, Eb, G, Bb, D, F, A. The root note is placed on the 3rd string. The third, the fifth, the ninth and/or the eleventh is often omitted

The notes and intervals in the chord

C minor degrees

Root	M2	m3	P4	P5	m6	m7	Oct	M9	m10	P11
C	Eb	G	Bb	D	F

See The Chord Reference ebook (over 800 chord charts), for a PDF.

The notes in relationship to numbers

Regarding C chords, the numbers used in names are based on the position in the C major and minor scales. Here you can see these relationships.

C major scale degrees

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
C	D	E	F	G	A	B

With the help of this reference, you can see that C6 includes a A and C9 includes a D. By adding more chord categories, the degrees would tell that both Csus4 and C11 includes an F, but on different octaves. Dominant chords are not tonal in the way that C7 and C9 doesn't include a B, but a Bb (B flat).

C minor scale degrees

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
C	D	Eb	F	G	Ab	Bb

You can see that Cm7 includes a Bb and Cm9 includes a D. An anomaly is the Cm6, which actually has a major 6th interval, which not is part of the C minor scale.

The relationship between chords

All chords are constructed with a C root note. Further on, the major chords include a major third while the minor chords include a minor third as the second note in the chord. The third note is a so-called perfect fifth. Besides that, some chords are extended with sixths, sevenths, ninths and so on.

Chord construction

C x - C - E - G - C - E Cm x - C - Eb - G - x - x C7 x - C - E - Bb - C - E Cmaj7 x - C - E - G - B - E Cm7 x - C - Eb - Bb - x - x C6 x - C - E - A - C - E Cm6 x - x - Eb - A - C - G C9 x - C - E - Bb - D - G Cmaj9 x - C - E - B - D - x Cm9 x - C - Eb - Bb - D - G Guitar versions of the chord

Notes in chord

C C - E - G Cm C - Eb - G C7 C - E - G - Bb Cmaj7 C - E - G - B Cm7 C - Eb - G - Bb C6 C - E - G - A Cm6 C - Eb - G - A C9 C - E - G - Bb - D Cmaj9 C - E - G - B - D Cm9 C - Eb - G - Bb - D Theoretical order of notes

Notation for blind and visually impaired

C X32010 Cm X310XX C7 X32310 Cmaj7 X32000 Cm7 X313XX C6 32210 Cm6 XX1213 C9 X32333 Cmaj9 X3243X Cm9 X3133X Fingerings based on frets from thickest string

Comments

C7: The pictured guitar version doesn’t includes the fifth (G). Cm7: The pictured guitar version doesn’t includes the fifth (G). C6: The pictured guitar version doesn’t includes the fifth (G). Cm6: The pictured guitar version has an alternative root (Eb), and could also be named Cm6/Eb. Cmaj9: The pictured guitar version doesn’t includes the fifth (G).

Often is the fifth are excluded. This is alright since the instrument sometimes force omitted notes and the fifth are the least important note concerning the sound characteristic (it doesn't affect the major/minor quality) of the chords.

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