Ukulele · minor

C♯m Chord on Ukulele

C# Minor is C#, E, G# — the 1-b3-5 pattern of a minor chord. There are 2 ways to play it on ukulele, ranked below from easiest to hardest.

There is no open C#m shape on ukulele — every version sits up the neck. The one marked “Am Shape (movable) (4th fret)” below is the friendliest grip, so start there.

Start here — Am Shape (movable) (4th fret)

Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.

Am Shape (movable) (4th fret)

Press play to hear C#m the way this shape actually sounds.

Every way 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.

Am Shape (movable) (4th fret)
Way 1 of 2
Am Shape (movable) (4th fret)
Easiest here· intermediate· the standard shape
Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.
Gm Shape (movable) (6th fret)
Way 2 of 2
Gm Shape (movable) (6th fret)
intermediate
Sits at fret 6 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.

What beginners get wrong

Moving in and out of it

The shape above: Am Shape (movable) (4th fret).

Where you will meet it: C# Minor (i), F# Minor (v), G# Minor (iv), E Major (vi), B Major (ii).

Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.

Songs that turn on this chord

Way MakerSinachverse — the vi chord

C#m on other instruments

Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.

Guitar

C♯m on guitar

2 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Piano

C♯m on piano

3 voicings · easiest is beginner

Bass

C♯m on bass

2 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Mandolin

C♯m on mandolin

2 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Banjo

C♯m on banjo

1 voicing · easiest is intermediate

Or see C# Minor on every instrument at once.

Chords next door

Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on ukulele.

C♯dim

C# Diminished

C♯m6

C# Minor 6th

C♯m7

C# Minor 7th

C♯m(maj7)

C# Minor-Major 7th

C♯dim7

C# Diminished 7th

C♯m7♭5

C# Half-Diminished 7th (m7♭5)

C#m on Ukulele — questions people ask

What is the easiest way to play C#m on ukulele?

“Am Shape (movable) (4th fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest C#m shape on ukulele. Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones. There is no open C#m on ukulele, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.

What notes are in the C# Minor chord?

C# Minor is C#, E, G# — the 1-b3-5 interval pattern of a minor 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#m on ukulele?

This page has 2 C#m voicings for ukulele, ranked from easiest to hardest: Am Shape (movable) (4th fret), Gm Shape (movable) (6th fret). They all sound like C#m; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.

What can I play instead of C#m?

The nearest stand-ins on ukulele that keep the same root are C#m7, C#dim, C#m6. 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#m on other instruments?

Yes. C#m is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, bass, mandolin, banjo.

Learn the theory behind C#m

The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.

Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in Songs

The flat third is the whole difference between this chord and its major twin.

5 min read

Key Signatures: Read Any Key in Two Seconds

Which keys this chord belongs to, and how to read the sharps and flats.

6 min read

Chord Progressions Explained

Minor chords rarely travel alone. Here is the company they keep.

7 min read