C5 Chord on Guitar

1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.

C5 is a power chord chord made of 2 notes: C, G. It sounds strong and neutral, with no third to make it major or minor, and you hear it in rock, punk and metal, especially with distortion. It is the I chord of C major and turns up in 5 other keys.

The library above opens on C5 with 14 shapes up and down the neck, starting with hand-checked ones. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in C5

Note	Degree	Interval from C	Semitones
C	1	root	0
G	5	perfect fifth	7

Formula: 1 – 5.

How to play C5

Fret 3Beginnerx355xx

Fret 8Beginner8(10)(10)xxx

Fret 1Beginnerxxxx13

Fret 10Beginnerxx(10)(12)xx

Fret 13Beginnerxxxx(13)(15)

Open positionEasyx3x01x

Fret 3 (root on the 5th string), step by step

1st finger (index): 5th string, 3rd fret (C, the root).
3rd finger (ring): 4th string, 5th fret (G, the fifth).
4th finger (little): 3rd string, 5th fret (C, the root).
Strum from the 5th string, and keep the 6th string and 2nd string and 1st string quiet (touch the muted string lightly with the finger next to it).

Tips

The fret 3 shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 8th fret (8(10)(10)xxx): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with C5

C5 belongs to 6 keys: I in C major, V in F major, IV in G major, VII in D minor, VI in E minor, III in A minor. In C major, try I–V–vi–IV: C5 – G – Am – F.