C

C1E3G5

A major third and a perfect fifth over the root.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

x003

open · no 5

Fig. 3

5003

easy · no 5

Fig. 4

540x

easy · no 5

Fig. 5

5403

easy · no 5

Fig. 6

5433

moderate

What is true of it

C is C, E and G — 1, 3 and 5 counted from C.

On an instrument that cannot reach all 3, the 5 goes first, in that order.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is x003: one finger, held at the 3rd fret.

1 of them use open strings, which is what makes a shape quiet to change to.

It leaves out the 5. 4 strings cannot carry 3 notes, and the 5 is the one this chord can lose without changing what it is.

1 string stays silent.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are C, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

C/E

x403

second inversion

C/G

000x

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

C in other shapes

Cmminor Cdimdiminished Caugaugmented C5power chord Csus2suspended second Csus4suspended fourth

C♯D♭D D♯E♭E F F♯all 374