3 notes · 1 · 3 · 5

C Major Piano Chord

C major is built from C, E and G — the formula 1 · 3 · 5, or 4 and 7 semitones above C. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

C Major

Notes

C · E · G

Formula

1 · 3 · 5

Right hand

1 · 3 · 5

Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).

The finder above already holds C. Press P or the Play chord button to hear C, E, G sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in C major

A major triad stacks a major third and then a minor third above the root. That order gives the bright, settled sound most beginner songs are built on. Major triads sit on the first, fourth and fifth degrees of any major scale, which is why they turn up in so many chord progressions.

Each tone of C major with its interval, scale degree, distance in semitones from C and a suggested right-hand finger.
Note	Interval	Degree	Semitones	Right hand
Cwhite key	Root	1	0	1 · thumb
Ewhite key	Major third	3	4	3 · middle finger
Gwhite key	Perfect fifth	5	7	5 · little finger

Step by step

How to play C major on piano

Find C: it is the white key immediately left of every group of two black keys.
Build upwards from C using 4 and 7 semitones to reach E and G.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on C, finger 3 on E and finger 5 on G. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
Every note here is a white key, so you can sit your hand slightly further out from the fallboard.
Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how C major settles.
Try first inversion as well: E – G – C. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

C major in 3 positions

An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.

Root position

C – E – G

The root C is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.

First inversion

E – G – C

E is the lowest note, so the major third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

Second inversion

G – C – E

G is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

In context

Which keys contain C major

In C major the chord functions as I. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 7 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

C majorI
F majorV
G majorIV
D minorVII
E minorVI
F harmonic minorV
A minorIII

Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.

Compare

C major against C minor

C major and C minor share C and G. Moving the minor third Eb up 1 semitone to the major third E turns C minor into C major.

Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes C, G still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.

Open C minor →

Good questions

C major questions

What notes are in the C major chord?

C major contains C, E and G. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 3 · 5, or 4 and 7 semitones above C.

What is the right-hand fingering for C major?

A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on C, 3 (middle finger) on E and 5 (little finger) on G. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.

How is C major different from C minor?

C major and C minor share C and G. Moving the minor third Eb up 1 semitone to the major third E turns C minor into C major.

Which keys use the C major chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (I), F major (V), G major (IV), D minor (VII), E minor (VI) and F harmonic minor (V) among others. The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of C major?

root position is C – E – G, first inversion is E – G – C and second inversion is G – C – E. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.