45678 × 13421 EADGBe
Expert

C# Minor Guitar Chord

A powerful barre chord at the 4th fret. C# Minor is rich and deep, commonly used in metal and progressive rock.

Also known as

  • C#m
  • C#-
  • Dbm
  • Db-
  • C# m
  • Db m
  • C#min
  • Dbmin
  • C# min
  • Db min
  • C#minor
  • Dbminor
  • D-flatm
  • D-flat-
  • C# minor
  • C-sharpm
  • C-sharp-
  • Db minor
  • D-flat m
  • C-sharp m
  • D-flatmin
  • C-sharpmin
  • D-flat min
  • C-sharp min
  • D-flatminor
  • C-sharpminor
  • D-flat minor
  • C-sharp minor

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

The easiest voicing is a barre at the 4th fret using the Am shape, or at the 9th fret using the Em shape. The 9th-fret position gives you a fuller, warmer tone but requires a longer stretch between frets. Either way, keep your thumb centered behind the neck for even pressure.

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

eBGDAE 4 6 6 5 4 4 6 6
eBGDAE 4 5 6 6 4 4 5 6
eBGDAE 4 4 6 5 6 4 4 6
eBGDAE 4 4 5 4 6 4 5 4

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