Chord · C# Minor
C♯m Chord
C♯m is C#, E and G# — dark, melancholic.
C♯m on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What C♯m is made of
C#m (C# minor) is built from the notes C#, E, G#, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5.
Stack 1, b3 and 5 on a root of C♯ and you get C#, E and G#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm sounds like a transposed C♯m.
Minor: Dark, melancholic.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with C♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain C♯m
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 8 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on C♯
Same root, different colour.
Questions people ask about C#m
- What notes are in the C#m chord?
- C#m is made of C#, E and G# — the 1, b3 and 5 degrees of a minor chord built on C#.
- What keys use the C#m chord?
- Every note of C#m belongs to 8 keys: A Major (iii), E Major (vi), B Major (ii), Cb Major (ii), F# Minor (v), C# Minor (i), G# Minor (iv), Ab Minor (iv). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play C#m on guitar and piano?
- This page shows C#m on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 12 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
- Is C#m the same as Dbm?
- Yes. C#m and Dbm are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; C#m is the spelling this site treats as canonical.
Learn the theory behind it
Why C♯m behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.