Guitar · major first inversion
C/E Chord on Guitar
C/E is E, G, C — the 3-5-1 pattern of a major first inversion chord. There are 2 ways to play it on guitar, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
Good news: C/E has an open shape on guitar, so you can play it without barring anything. Start there and work up the neck later.
Start here — Open Position (E in the bass)
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
Easier ways to play it — 2 shapes, easiest first
Same chord in all of them. What changes is how much your hand has to do and where on the neck it sits.
Open Position (E in the bass) Way 1 of 2
Open Position (E in the bass)
Easiest here· beginner· the standard shape
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
A Shape over an open E Way 2 of 2
A Shape over an open E
intermediate
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Open Position (E in the bass) — open position, so several strings ring unfretted.
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
C/E on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Or see C/E on every instrument at once.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on guitar.
C/E on Guitar — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play C/E on guitar?
“Open Position (E in the bass)” — which we rate beginner — is the easiest C/E shape on guitar. Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
What notes are in the C/E chord?
C/E is E, G, C — the 3-5-1 interval pattern of a major first inversion chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
How many ways can you play C/E on guitar?
This page has 2 C/E voicings for guitar, ranked from easiest to hardest: Open Position (E in the bass), A Shape over an open E. They all sound like C/E; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of C/E?
The nearest stand-ins on guitar that keep the same root are Csus4, Csus2, C. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play C/E on other instruments?
Yes. C/E is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on piano.
Learn the theory behind C/E
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
Chord Inversions and Slash Chords — Same Notes, Different Attitude
Same notes, different bass note — what the slash in the name is actually doing.
5 min read
Voice Leading — Hold What You Can, Move Only What You Must
Inversions exist so your fingers move less between chords. This is the technique behind them.
6 min read
Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One Engine
An inverted chord still has a job in the key. Here is how to hear it.
6 min read