C Major Ukulele Chord
One of the friendliest sounds on the ukulele, this open major chord is built from C, E and G. It anchors countless beginner songs and sits at the harmonic center of the key of C, sounding bright, settled, and complete.
Also known as
- C
- CM
- C M
- Cmaj
- C maj
- Cmajor
- C major
How to Play This Chord
Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the four strings, from the top G string (left) to the A string (right), and the horizontal lines are the frets. Numbers inside the dots indicate which finger to use: 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky). An X means don't play that string; an O means play it open. A bar spanning multiple strings means one finger presses across all of them at once — this is known as a barre chord.
Tips & Tricks
Only the A string is pressed, so set your ring finger at the 3rd fret of the A string and let the G, C and E strings ring open. Curl that finger so its tip lands cleanly without leaning on the open E string. If reaching with the ring finger feels awkward, the middle finger works just as well.