C Major Chord on Guitar
Play C Major on Guitar: diagrams, finger positions, intervals, and every voicing up and down the neck for this instrument.
The C Major chord is a bright, stable major triad — one of the first chords most players learn. It is built from the notes C, E, G. This page shows how to play C Major on Guitar with clear fretboard diagrams and suggested finger positions.
The G and E strings ring open in the lowest shape, with the remaining notes fretted at fret 1 over a 3-fret stretch. The E string stays silent, so 5 of 6 sound. C falls on the A string. It sounds from C3 up to E4. 5 voicings are charted, the highest starting at fret 10.
Guitar is tuned E–A–D–G–B–E, with 15 frets to work with.
Browse alternate voicings to find the one that sits best under your fingers, then compare it with the other chord types built on C or explore the same shape in nearby keys. The diagrams list the notes in each voicing so you can connect the shape to the theory behind it.