The Key of C♯ Minor for Guitar
The key of C♯ minor has the notes C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B, 4 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯), and its relative major is E major.
- Chords
- C♯m D♯dim E F♯m G♯m A B
- Main three
- C♯m F♯m G♯m
- Key signature of C♯ minor
- 4 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in C♯ minor · moved from C♯ minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: C♯ minor (page key)No capo: you play C♯ minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · C♯ minor scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (C♯). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · i–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in C♯ minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | C♯m | C♯ E G♯ |
| ii° | D♯dim | D♯ F♯ A |
| III | E | E G♯ B |
| iv | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ |
| v | G♯m | G♯ B D♯ |
| VI | A | A C♯ E |
| VII | B | B D♯ F♯ |
Seventh chords in C♯ minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | C♯m7 | C♯ E G♯ B |
| iiø7 | D♯m7♭5 | D♯ F♯ A C♯ |
| IIImaj7 | Emaj7 | E G♯ B D♯ |
| iv7 | F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| v7 | G♯m7 | G♯ B D♯ F♯ |
| VImaj7 | Amaj7 | A C♯ E G♯ |
| VII7 | B7 | B D♯ F♯ A |
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why C♯ minor has 4 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on C♯ and the notes land on C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B, so the key needs F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
C♯ minor scale in first position
Every note of C♯ minor in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, C♯ on the 5th string, fret 4, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: C♯ minor scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in C♯ minor on guitar
C♯ minor has four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯) and the same notes as E major. Four of the six open strings are in the scale: low E, A, B and high e. The open D and G strings are not, since the key has D♯ and G♯. Its enharmonic twin, D♭ minor, sounds the same but would need eight flats, one of them a double flat (B𝄫), so music is written in C♯ minor.
Only E and A are open chords. C♯m is the A-shape minor barre at fret 4, F♯m and G♯m are E-shape barres, B is a barre at fret 2 or the open B7, and D♯dim is rare in songs. C♯m7 (x 4 2 4 0 0) lets the open B and high e ring over the root and is far easier than the full barre.
Most acoustic players take the capo route here, because without it nearly every chord is a barre. Amaj7 (x 0 2 1 2 0) and the open E chord give the key a bright, ringing colour when the song sits around the relative major.
For lead lines, the C♯ minor pentatonic scale (C♯ E F♯ G♯ B) holds the same five notes as E major pentatonic. Its usual box starts at fret 9 on the low E string, but near the nut the same notes fit frets 0 to 4 with the open E and B strings, so short riffs can ring without a capo.
Common progressions in C♯ minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | C♯m A E B | C♯m A E B: open A and E in the middle; B is a barre, or B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2) without one. |
| i–iv–v–i | C♯m F♯m G♯m C♯m | C♯m F♯m G♯m C♯m: all barres. Songs often turn the G♯m into G♯7 (x x 1 1 1 2) to lead home. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | C♯m B A B | C♯m B A B: with capo 4 this is Am G F G, the same falling loop in A minor shapes. |
| i–iv–VII–III | C♯m F♯m B E | C♯m F♯m B E: the chain resolves to open E, the relative major and the full six-string chord. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and C♯ minor
Capo 4 with Am shapes sounds in C♯ minor and removes every barre: C♯m, F♯m, G♯m, A, B and E are played as Am, Dm, Em, F, G and C. The high capo also gives a lighter tone that suits fingerpicking.
| Capo | C♯m shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | D minor |
| Fret 2 | E♭ minor |
| Fret 3 | E minor |
| Fret 4 | F minor |
| Fret 5 | F♯ minor |
| Fret 6 | G minor |
| Fret 7 | G♯ minor |
Song in another key? Capo for C♯ minor songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative major: E major
E major uses the same seven notes, starting on E, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of E majorrelative
- The key of C♯ majorparallel
- The key of F♯ minorcircle, one step left
- The key of G♯ minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about C♯ minor
What chords are in the key of C♯ minor?
C♯m, D♯dim, E, F♯m, G♯m, A and B. Only E and A are open chords in standard tuning without a capo.
How do I play in C♯ minor with easy chords?
Capo 4, then play the A minor shapes Am, Dm, Em, F, G and C. They sound as C♯m, F♯m, G♯m, A, B and E.
What is the relative major of C♯ minor?
E major, with the same four sharps. The open E chord is the III of C♯ minor, so the two keys share it.
How many sharps are in C♯ minor?
Four: F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯. The scale is C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B.
Next steps in C♯ minor
- Progressions in C♯ minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- C♯ minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- C♯ harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along