C Chord
The C is a major chord that sounds bright, happy, and resolved. Major chords are the backbone of countless songs. Their bright, stable sound makes them perfect for strumming, picking, and rhythm playing across every genre.
Open Position
Chord Diagrams
Open Position
No barre required
Barre Shape, Fret 3
Uses a barre chord technique
How to Play C
Follow these steps for the open position fingering:
| # | String | Instruction | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Low E (6th string) | ✕Mute, do not play this string | – |
| 2 | A (5th string) | ●Fret 3 with your ring finger | E |
| 3 | D (4th string) | ●Fret 2 with your middle finger | G |
| 4 | G (3rd string) | ○Open, play the open string | C |
| 5 | B (2nd string) | ●Fret 1 with your index finger | E |
| 6 | High E (1st string) | ○Open, play the open string | G |
○ = Open string (no fingers needed)
✕ = Muted string (don't play)
● = Press your finger down firmly just behind the fret
Notes in C
The C chord is built from 3 distinct notes, each serving a harmonic role:
Read the deep-dive guide for C
Songs Using C
These songs from our play-along library feature the C chord:
Summer of '69
Bryan Adams
Layla (Unplugged)
Eric Clapton
Easy On Me
Adele
Rush - Xanadu
Rush
Sunday Morning
Maroon 5
seasons
wave to earth
Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild
Vibe Music
Sultans of Swing
Dire Straits
Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger
Survivor
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Green Day
Dust in the Wind
Kansas
Huntrix
Unknown
Love Me Do
The Beatles
Dasha - Austin
BagOnly
Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker
DJSocio18
Zach Bryan - Something In The Orange
Zach Bryan
Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun
Unknown
Nothing Else Matters
Metallica
Creep
Radiohead
Tame Impala - My Old Ways
tameimpala
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
Heart of Gold
Neil Young
ZLATA OGNEVICH
Zlata Ognevich
STAY
The Kid Laroi
Bleachers - you and forever
Bleachers
Ariana Grande - twilight zone (lyric visualizer)
ArianaGrande
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
v94j
Audioslave - Like a Stone
Audioslave
How It’s Done
HUNTR/X
Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Green Day
Linger (SiriusXM Session)
Royel Otis
Guess feat. billie eilish
Charli xcx
Yesterday
The Beatles
Better Together
Jack Johnson
La Bamba
Ritchie Valens
Burning Pile
Mother Mother
Lady Gaga - The Dead Dance
Vibe Music
Zach Bryan - Pink Skies
Zach Bryan
Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Elton John
Austin (Boots Stop Workin')
Dasha
Home
Phillip Phillips
Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water
Deep Purple
House of the Rising Sun
The Animals
Heart-Magic Man
Unknown
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Blackbird
The Beatles
Bon Jovi
Unknown
Zombie
The Cranberries
Wonderful Tonight
Eric Clapton
Redemption Song
Bob Marley
Wrecking Ball
Mother Mother
Mr. Jones
Counting Crows
Sweet Home Alabama
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sierra
Unknown
I will survive - Gloria Gaynor
70sand80s4u
Billy Squier - The Stroke
Unknown
Take Me to Church
Hozier
Training Season
Dua Lipa
Charli xcx - Guess featuring billie eilish
Charli xcx
Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam - 1969
74sodapop
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Scientist
Coldplay
Derek and the Dominos - Layla
TacoBender79
Don Toliver - Lose My Mind (feat. Doja Cat)
Don Toliver
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana
Free Fallin'
Tom Petty
KATSEYE - Internet Girl
7clouds
Ravyn Lenae - Love Me Not
R&BHype
Def Leppard - Rock Of Ages lyrics
MeJeNiFeRx
Heart - "Barracuda" (1977)
Heart
Welcome to the Black Parade
My Chemical Romance
21 Guns
Green Day
Doechii - Anxiety
Vibe Music
Don't Fear the Reaper- Blue Öyster Cult
SpiritWriterSong
Queens of the Stone Age - No one Knows
0foofighter0
Zach Bryan - I Remember Everything (feat. Kacey Musgraves)
Zach Bryan
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
Phil Collins
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
BonJovi
The Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black
ABKCO
Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin
MOLIY, Shenseea, Skillibeng, Silent Addy - Shake It To The Max (Fly) (Remix)
MOLIY
ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin'
Unknown
Count on Me
Bruno Mars
juju - Wasted Summers
jujumusic
Sabrina Carpenter - Nonsense
Unique Sound
Channa Mereya
Arijit Singh
Styx-Renegade Lyrics
RockinBassPlayer3
Zara Larsson - Pretty Ugly
ZaraLarssonMusic
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
acdc
Bad Company - Can't Get Enough
Unknown
Could you Be Loved
Bob Marley
LISA - ROCKSTAR
SyrebralVibes
Tere Bin
Atif Aslam
Saiyaara Reprise - Female | Ahaan, Aneet | Tanishk, Faheem, Arslan | Shreya | Irshad
YRF
Kenny Loggins - Footloose
Miluzie
Noah Kahan - Call Your Mom
NoahKahan
Bruno Mars - Risk It All
Unknown
Kansas - Dust in the wind 1977
Magnus Schult
Iktara
Kavita Seth
Kesariya
Arijit Singh
Time After Time
Cyndi Lauper
Boston - More Than a Feeling
Boston
Crying City - Urn
Chill Only
Akele hain to kya gum hai
Alka Yagnik,Udit Narayan
Lut Gaye
Jubin Nautiyal
Ik Vaari Aa
Arijit Singh
Ariana Grande - We Can’t Be Friends
Lost Panda
The Who - Baba O'riley
Zumie94
Let Her Go
Passenger
Riha
Anuv Jain
Safar
Arijit Singh
Post Malone & Morgan Wallen - I Had Some Help
Unknown
Motley Crue - Wild Side with Lyrics
Unknown
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
masterofacdcsuckaS
beabadoobee, Laufey - A Night To Remember
beabadoobee
Alphaville - Forever Young
Pizza Music
Tere Sang Yaara
Atif Aslam
Shocking Blue - Venus (Video)
Unknown
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT.
ROSÉ
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
Panic! At The Disco
Billie Eilish - THE GREATEST (BILLIE BY FINNEAS)
Unknown
Bol Do Na Zara
Armaan Malik
Kaun Tujhe
Palak Muchhal
Bulleya
Amit Mishra
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
SNEM0SDN5
WizTheMc, bees & honey - Show Me Love
Unknown
Teddy Swims - Bad Dreams
7clouds
Van Halen - Jump
Van Halen
Samjho Na
Aditya Rikhari
Aerosmith - Dream On
Aerosmith
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT.
Vibe Music
ZZ Top Sharp Dressed Man
Unknown
Teri Deewani
Kailash Kher
Play On
Unknown
Post Malone - I Had Some Help (feat. Morgan Wallen)
PostMalone
Made You Look
Meghan Trainor
Hawa Banke
Darshan Raval
Mishri
Anuv Jain
Here I Go Again-Lyrics-Whitesnake
eggs712
Hurt
Johnny Cash
Pete Yorn
Pete Yorn
Anyma, LISA - Bad Angel
Anyma
Not Like Us
Kendrick Lamar
High Hopes
Panic! At The Disco
vampire
Olivia Rodrigo
Zaroorat
Mustafa Zahid
sombr - undressed
sombr
1. Blue Swede - Hooked on a Feeling
Joel Gustafsson
Nickelback - How You Remind Me
Nickelback
Porter Block - Gi
Unknown
Alex Warren - Eternity
Unknown
Tu Jaane Na
Atif Aslam
Pain! - Jimmy eat world
Meerschweinchen99
Doechii - Anxiety (Visualizer)
Iamdoechii
Hey Joe
Jimi Hendrix
Nain Matakka
Unknown
Rupert Holmes - (Escape) The Pina Colada Song
Unknown
Taylor Swift - Opalite (Lyric Video)
Unknown
Flowers
Miley Cyrus
Zindagi Kuch Toh Bata (Reprise) | Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Pritam
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Bob Dylan
Let It Be
The Beatles
Justin Bieber - Beauty And A Beat ft. Nicki Minaj
Unknown
Bon Jovi - One Wild Night(album version)
Unknown
Ariana Grande - we can't be friends (wait for your love)
ArianaGrande
We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)
Fun.
Have You Ever Seen the Rain
CCR
Taylor Swift - Opalite
Unknown
Lil Uzi Vert - What You Saying
Unknown
5. Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around and Fell in Love
Joel Gustafsson
Luke Combs - When It Rains It Pours
LukeCombs
The Weeknd - Blinding Lights
TheWeeknd
Luke Combs – Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma (From Twisters: The Album)
Luke Combs
David Guetta, Teddy Swims, Tones and I - Gone Gone Gone
David Guetta
Brown Eyed Girl
Van Morrison
Houdini
Dua Lipa
Leaving on a Jet Plane
John Denver
Come As You Are
Nirvana
Miley Cyrus - Easy Lover
MileyCyrus
Blinding Lights
The Weeknd
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
Unknown
Aerosmith Walk This Way
Aerosmith
Sign of the Gypsy Queen
April Wine
Tears in Heaven
Eric Clapton
Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun
v94j
Sonny Fodera, Jazzy, D.O.D - Somedays
Sonny Fodera
Comfortably Numb
Pink Floyd
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
remhq
Down on the Corner
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Ho Hey
The Lumineers
Banana Pancakes
Jack Johnson
BLACKPINK '뛰어(JUMP)' (Color Coded Lyrics)
Unknown
Don McLean- American Pie
Unknown
BTS (방탄소년단) ‘SWIM’ Official MV
Unknown
Alice Cooper - I'm Eighteen
Unknown
Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
kansas
Main Hoon Hero Tera
Armaan Malik
Sabrina Carpenter - Tears
TrendingTracks
Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil
onlythepianoplayer
W Sound 05 "LA PLENA" - Beéle, Westcol, Ovy On The Drums
W Sound
APT.
ROSÉ
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
DeepPurple
Mere Rashke Qamar
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia
LatinHype
Alice Cooper - Poison
AliceCooper
The Offspring - Why Don't you get a job? Lyrics
YoSabina
Bekhayali
Unknown
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Rush
Golden
HUNTR/X
Life is a Highway
Rascal Flatts
Enna Sona
Arijit Singh
Gerua
Arijit Singh
Sam Barber - Indigo (feat. Avery Anna) (Lyric Video)
Sam Barber
Lady Gaga - Abracadabra
7clouds
"How It's Done" Official Lyric Video
Unknown
broken
lovelytheband
Jeena Jeena
Atif Aslam
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
ShawnxXxMichaels
Other C Chords
Explore other chord types built on the same root note:
Practice with AI
Get a personalized practice session focused on C and the chords that pair with it.
Start PracticingExplore on Fretboard
See where C appears across the entire guitar neck in our interactive explorer.
Open Fretboard