3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · 5

C# Minor Piano Chord (C#m)

C# minor is built from C#, E and G# — the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above C#. The shape uses 1 white and 2 black keys, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

C# Minor

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#m. 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# minor

A minor triad reverses the major arrangement: a minor third first, then a major third. Only the middle note moves, yet the chord sounds noticeably darker and more inward. Minor triads sit on the second, third and sixth degrees of a major scale, and on the first degree of a minor key.

Each tone of C# minor with its interval, scale degree, distance in semitones from C# and a suggested right-hand finger.
Note	Interval	Degree	Semitones	Right hand
C#black key	Root	1	0	1 · thumb
Ewhite key	Minor third	♭3	3	3 · middle finger
G#black key	Perfect fifth	5	7	5 · little finger

Step by step

How to play C# minor on piano

Find C#: it is the first black key in a group of two.
Build upwards from C# using 3 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.
Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black keys sit comfortably under your fingers.
Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how C# minor settles.
Try first inversion as well: E – G# – C#. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

C# minor 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 minor 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# minor

In E major the chord functions as vi. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 6 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

E majorvi
A majoriii
B majorii
C♯ minori
F♯ minorv
G♯ minoriv

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# minor against C# major

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

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# major →

Good questions

C# minor questions

What notes are in the C# minor chord?

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

What is the right-hand fingering for C# minor?

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# minor different from C# major?

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

Which keys use the C# minor chord?

It occurs naturally in E major (vi), A major (iii), B major (ii), C♯ minor (i), F♯ minor (v) and G♯ minor (iv). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of C# minor?

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.

Is C# minor the same as the D♭ chord?

On an equal-tempered piano C# and D♭ are the same key, so the chords sound identical. Written music chooses between them according to the key signature: pages here are named after the sharp spelling of the root, and the chord tones are then spelled by the degree each one occupies, which is why a double sharp occasionally appears.