C5 Guitar Chord
A power chord with just root and perfect fifth. C5 is the foundation of heavy rock and punk, offering pure, aggressive tone.
Also known as
- C 5
- C fifth
- C power chord
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
Play this power chord at the 3rd fret on the A string. The biggest challenge is muting the strings you're not using — rest your fretting finger lightly against the higher strings, or use your picking hand to control which strings you strike.