Piano chord
C major chord
C is a major triad: the root C, a major 3rd up to E and a perfect 5th up to G.
- Symbol
- C
- Notes
- C – E – G
Play it yourself
Tap C, E and G on the keys below, in any order.
- C
- E
- G
Major chords sound bright and settled. They are the home chord of most pop, rock and folk songs, and the chord most people learn first.
Inversions of C
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
C – E – G
- 1st inversion · C/E
E – G – C
- 2nd inversion · C/G
G – C – E
Keys with C
C occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.