If you searched for the C chord on piano, this page covers the standard C major triad: C–E–G. Use the keyboard diagram to hear the chord, compare inversions and try sourced root-position fingering examples.
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · scale degrees, not finger numbers
Current pitches, low to high. This is a pitch reference, not a rhythm or hand assignment.
Press and hold a key to play. With a key focused, use Enter or Space; Tab moves to the next control.
Simple reference tone; not a recording of an acoustic piano.
All three chord tones are white keys. Moving C above E and G gives E–G–C; E in the bass makes that first inversion, while C remains the root.
The diagrams keep the chord’s spelling while changing which chord tone is lowest. Read the bass note under each position, then compare the note order. Finger numbers are shown only where the exact example has a source; no hand shape is prescribed for the remaining voicings.
| Position | Symbol | Notes, low to high | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position, current selection | C | C4–E4–G4 | C4 |
| First inversion | C/E | E4–G4–C5 | E4 |
| Second inversion | C/G | G4–C5–E5 | G4 |
RH root position only, usual choice from Yamaha: C–E–G → 1–3–5.
Single-hand left-hand example for this root-position voicing. A starting example for a close-position triad. Hand size and musical context may call for another fingering; it is not assigned to the inversions.
Single-hand right-hand example for this root-position voicing. A starting example for a close-position triad. Hand size and musical context may call for another fingering; it is not assigned to the inversions.
Skoove; reviewed by Matthew Dickman, composer and music educator
Supports: C–E–G root position; right hand 1–3–5 and left hand 5–3–1.
Scope: The source specifies chord tones and fingers, but not PianoGrid’s C4–E4–G4 octave placement.
Yamaha / Jerry Kovarsky
Supports: Major and minor root-position triads usually use thumb, middle finger and pinky; C major is the illustrated reference.
Scope: The article supports the right-hand root-position convention; it does not specify PianoGrid’s octave placement or a left-hand C example.
C major contains C–E–G. The intervals from the root are a major third and a perfect fifth.
The C major chord contains three pitch classes: C, E, and G. The C major scale contains seven: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Scale degrees 1, 3, and 5 describe positions in that scale; finger numbers describe the digits used in one specific hand example.
C major and A minor share C and E, but they remain different chords: C major is C–E–G, while A minor is A–C–E.
See the C major scaleCompare the shared tones with A minorThe standard C major chord contains C, E and G.
In basic chord notation, C by itself normally means C major. Cm means C minor, while C7 and other symbols name different C-root chords.
For the root-position examples on this page, right hand 1–3–5 and left hand 5–3–1 are source-backed starting points. Fingering is not assigned to the inversions.
Common names: C, C major, Cmaj.
Intervals from the root: perfect unison, major third, perfect fifth.
No. C remains the root. First inversion puts E in the bass (E–G–C, written C/E), and second inversion puts G in the bass (G–C–E, written C/G).
The C major chord uses three notes: C, E, and G. The C major scale uses seven pitch classes: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The chord formula 1–3–5 names scale degrees, not finger numbers.
No. The right-hand 1–3–5 and left-hand 5–3–1 examples on this page apply to the sourced root-position example. This page does not assign those fingerings to the inversions; hand size and musical context may call for another fingering.
Stop sound always silences every note, including sustain.
Chord tones: C–E–G · Formula: 1, 3, 5
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.