One of the fantastic thing about guitar chords is that we can play them in different shapes and positions of the neck. Every major, minor, or extended chord can be played in different inversions. If we also add the set of strings in which the chord can be played, the combinations become countless.
But how can we play beautiful chords on the guitar and how can we progress from simple chords to more advanced chord shapes?
The C major is a chord played with the notes C, E, and G. On guitar, this chord it’s played by pressing the third fret on the A string, the second fret on the D string, and the first fret on the B string.
In this guitar lesson, I am going to show you how to play 8 beautiful C major chord shapes on guitar and how to use each shape in different chord progressions.
The best way to learn new chords is to put them into practice. You should always avoid learning more than one or two chords per session. Your brain (and fingers), only have enough space to memorize a few things at a time.
You are better off learning one chord shape and play it in five different chord progressions then learning five different chords at a time.
We will learn:
- What’s a C major chord.
- 1. The most simple C major shape for beginners.
- 2. The Cadd9 chord.
- 3. Csus2 and Csus4.
- 4. The Cmaj7 chord.
- 5. The Cadd11 chord.
- 6. The C major over E (C/E).
- 7. The Cmaj9 chord.
- 8. The C major played with the 153 interval structure.
What’s a C Major Chord
The C major chord is a basic chord played with the root note, major 3rd, and perfect 5th. When you put together the notes C, E, and G you are playing a C major chord.
Just like any other chord in music, a basic chord is also called “Triad.” A triad is the most simple chord we have in music and consist of the Root note, 3rd, and 5th degree of the scale.
If you know how to play basic chords such as C major, G major, A minor, E minor, etc., then you know how to play triads.
The reasons why it is so important to learn the notes of the C major chord is because as we progress with this lesson, you will also learn extended chords such as Cadd9, Cmaj7, Csus2, etc. These chords have the same interval structure of a basic chord (or triad) played with root, 3rd, and 5th but with additional notes such as 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, sus2, sus4, and 6th.
We will talk more about extended through the lesson.
QUICK TIP! You can skip the music theory stuff if you want and learn the chord shapes and the exercises only. Don’t feel like you have to know the theory behind each chord; you don’t have to.
1.The Most Simple C Major Shape for Beginners
The most simple chord shape for beginners is the one played with two fingers only.
The reasons why we start with such a simple shape is to show you how to simplify and model the chords based off of your level.
This chord is played with the root note only.
This chord is only possible if you use the fingerpicking technique.
Pluck the A and B string with thumb and index finger. Feel the stretch between the fingers and adjust the left-hand thumb.
Once you are good with the chord, add the G and top E string.
The fingerstyle pattern is straightforward and should be played as evenly as possible.
Learn more about how to pluck the strings correctly in this article I wrote a while back.
2.The Cadd9 Chord
The first variation of the C major chord is called “the Cadd9 chord”. In the Cadd9 chord, we are adding anote to the chord, the 9th. This chord belongs to a chord family called “Extended chords,” which are chords played with, well, extended notes on top of the basic triads.
The Cadd9 chord is played with the note C, E, G, and D (Root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, and major 9th).
The Cadd9 Chord Shape
Learn how to play the Cadd9 chord by following the chord diagram below. Lower the left-hand thumb so that you can easily stretch the fingers.
Chord Progression with the Cadd9 Chord
In this simple example, I am going to show you how to implement the Cadd9 chord in a simple chord progression.
The exercise is played with the fingerstyle technique. The reasons why we prioritize the fingerpicking technique over the strumming technique is because with fingerstyle you can single out some of the notes of the chord and make it simple for the left-hand to handle the chord change.
The remarkable thing about the Cadd9 chord is that that it can be quickly moved in different positions of the neck.
This is the chord progression: Cadd9 – Em(add9) – Fadd9 – Gsus4.
Notice how the Cadd9, Em(add9), and the Fadd9 share the same chord shape.
3.Csus2 and Csus4
The second C major variation is called “Csus2” and “Csus4” chord.
Quick Music Theory Lesson: The “Sus” chords are suspended chords played without major or minor 3rd. They are called suspended because without the 3rd the chord is neither major or minor.
Here is how we play the Csus2 and Csus4 chord.
The C major is played with the notes C, E, and G.
- To play the C sus2, lower the 3rd down to the 4trh and play the chord with only C, E, and G.
- To play the Csus4, raise the 3rd to the 4th and play the chord with only C, F, and G.
What’s the Difference Between the Csus2 and the Cadd9
A lot of beginners get confused between the Csus2 and Cadd9 chord as they are both played with the note D.
The 2nd and 9th is the same note. The D is the second note of the C major scale but also the 9th played one octave higher.
So why these two chords have different names?
The difference between the Csus2 and the Cadd9 is that
- The Csus2 is a chord played without the 3rd, hence C D G.
- The Cadd9 is played with both 3rd and 9th, C E G D.
REMEMBER: Suspended chords are chords without the 3rd.
The Csus2 and Csus4 Chord Shape
Let me show you the two chord shapes we are going to learn for the Csus2 and Csus4 chord.
In this example, we are going to combine both chords in one chord progression.
The chords are played with the fingerstyle technique.
Chord Progression with the Csus2 and Csus4 chord
In this exercise, we are going to combine both Csus2 and Csus4 chord.
The chord progression goes like this: Csus4 – C | Em | Csus2 – C | Em |.
I am changing the chord voicing a lot so that you can get an idea of how to use the suspended chords in a chord progression. Because of their “Suspended” sound, the sus chords work perfectly in chord progressions where the voicing of the chord changes all the time.
4.The Cmajor 7th Chord
Moving on to the next C major shape! Let me show how to play the Cmaj7 chord.
The maj7 chord is a basic chord played with the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. The notes are C, E, G, and B.
I love the dreamy sound of the Cmaj7 chord to the point that it became one of my favorite chords to play.
There are a lot of different ways to play the Cmaj7 chord. For obvious reasons, I am not going to teach the most common shape.
I am sure you already know how to play this shape right?
Instead, I want to show you something more interesting and musical as well as challenging, beautiful and inspirational.
The Cmaj7 Chord Shape
This is a fascinating Cmaj7 chord shape. You can play the root note on the 6th string FRET VIII, which makes this chord similar to the Gmaj7 chord played in the first position.
Again, this chord is only possible with the fingerpicking technique.
Learn the chord shape below.
Chord Progression With the Cmaj7 Chord
This Cmaj7 chord shape is very similar to a G major shape played on the eight fret.
I love that with the fingerpicking technique we can single out the bass note and top B and E string. The chord becomes very simple to play yet beautiful.
We can also play the rest of the chord progression in the same position.
5.The Cadd11 Chord
We can’t talk about different C major chord shapes without mentioning one of the top 3 C shapes I know.
We already discussed the Cadd9 interval structure and how to play one of the simple shapes.
In this lesson, we are going to learn a chord coming from the same “Add” family called Cadd11.
The Cadd11 chord is played with the root note, major 3rd, perfect 5th, and perfect 11th.
The perfect 11th is the same note as a perfect 4th.
You learned that the difference between the Csus2 and Cadd9 depends on whether or not we play the 3rd of the chord.
We can apply the same music theory concept for the Csus4 and Cadd11.
- A Csus4 is a chord played without the 3rd, hence C, F, and G.
- The Cadd11 is played with both major 3rd and perfect 11th.
The Cadd11 Chord Shape
This is the Cadd11 chord shape we are learning in this lesson.
It can be a little stretchy on the left-hand so take it step-by-step and save your tendons.
Chord Progression With the Cadd11 Chord
In this exercise, the chord progression goes as follows: Csus4 | G | Dm(add9) | Am(add11).
The fingerpicking pattern allows you to play the chords uniquely and it almost feels like there is a melody within the chords.
6.The C major Over E, a.k.a C/E
Not all the chords have the root note on the bass.
In this example, I am going to show you how to play a C major chord with the 3rd on bass. This type of chord is also called a “Slash chord” due to the slash between the chord and the bass note.
This is how to write the chord.
C/E Chord Shape
The C/E can be played easily in the 1st position with the low E string open.
Notice that I am not playing the root note C on the 5th string fret 3. The lowest note of the chord
Chord Progression With the C/E Chord
The slash chord can be used to create a walking bass line between different chords.
For this example, we are going to play a chord progression with different slash chords.
The chord progression goes as follows: C, G/B, Am, F, C/E, Dm, F/C, and C.
7.The Cmaj9 Chord
Moving on to more Jazzy chords with the beautiful Cmaj9 chord.
This chord is played with the root note, major 3rd, perfect 5ht, major 7th, and major 9th. Notice how we also play the major 7th even though it isn’t specified in the chord name.
REMEMBER: A “Maj9” chord is a chord played with both major 7th and major 9th.
The Maj9 chord is a five notes chord, which makes it difficult to play on guitar. For this reason, guitar player always ditches the perfect 5th and play the chord with the Root note, major 3rd, major 7th, and major 9th.
Don’t feel sorry for the 5th! This note is useless for this chord.
Cmaj9 Chord Shape
This is the chord shape.
Chord Progression With the Cmaj9 Chord
In this example, we are going to play a beautiful jazzy chord progression. We are also going to play with the bass notes of the chords a play a Latin rhythm.
I am sure you will enjoy these chords.
8.The 153 Chord Shape
It is normal for a lot of guitar players to think that extended chords are more advanced and sound better than basic chords.
In this example, I am going to show you how we can write a beautiful chord progression with a simple triad.
As you just learned a triad is a chord played with only three notes, the root, 3rd, and 5th.
When you play the chord with such interval structure, it’s called a “Close position” chord, meaning that the notes of the chords are played as close as possible.
If we spread out the notes and change the interval structure of the chord, we can also play an “Open position” chord. This chord shape works better on guitar.
This is the chord shape for the C major triad played with the 153 shape.
C Major 153 Chord Shape
This is the C major shape for the 153 chord. You could also play it with the G and E string open, but in this example, we are only using fretted notes.
Chord Progression With the C major 153 Chord
One of the best ways to implement this chord is by playing a chord progressions where all the chords have the same structure.
The chord progression we are checking out in this lesson is C, Em, F, C, and G. All the chords are played with the 153 chord shape.
Notice how we can easily transpose the chords up and down the neck.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Guys, I hope you enjoy these beautiful C major chord shapes on guitar.
Make sure you play the chords in other chord progressions and songs that you already know.
You should check my next lesson about the essential fingerpicking exercises you should know.
Next Lesson: The 12 Most Important Fingerpicking Exercises You Should Know.
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