12345 × 32121 EADGBe
Expert

C# Major Guitar Chord

A bright barre chord at the 1st fret. C# Major has a brilliant, ringing tone found in many modern rock songs.

Also known as

  • C#
  • Db
  • C#M
  • DbM
  • C# M
  • Db M
  • C#maj
  • Dbmaj
  • C# maj
  • Db maj
  • D-flat
  • C#major
  • C-sharp
  • Dbmajor
  • D-flatM
  • C# major
  • C-sharpM
  • Db major
  • D-flat M
  • C-sharp M
  • D-flatmaj
  • C-sharpmaj
  • D-flat maj
  • C-sharp maj
  • D-flatmajor
  • C-sharpmajor
  • D-flat major
  • C-sharp major

How to Play This Chord

Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the strings, from low E (left) to high E (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

C# major is a full barre chord at the 4th fret (using the A-string root shape) or the 9th fret (E-string root). The 4th-fret position has moderate string tension, making it a reasonable barre chord for intermediate players. Make sure your barre finger lies flat and close to the fret wire.

There are many ways to play this chord. Try these:

eBGDAE 4 3 1 2 1 4 3 1
eBGDAE 1 2 1 3 4 1 2 1
eBGDAE 4 1 3 2 1 4 1 3
eBGDAE 4 1 2 1 3 1 2 1

See how C# Major works with other chords — Progression Generator