Do You Want to Play the C Major Chord on the Piano? Here is How!

Learn which notes are part of the C Major chord and how to play this chord in root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion on the piano.

When you are getting started with piano chords this is usually the first chord you learn.

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What Does the C Major Chord Look Like on the Piano?

The symbol for the C Major chord is C and the notes of the C chord are C – E – G.

The C chord is a triad because it has three notes: root (C), major third (E), and perfect fifth (G).

The picture below shows how to play the notes of the C Major chord on the piano in root position:

You can see that the first note from the left is C (the root), the second note is E (the major third), and the third note is G (the perfect fifth).

Assuming that you are playing the C chord in root position the lowest note is C. This is called root note.

Here is how to remember the notes of the C major chord:

Start from the first note of the chord (the root) that for the C major chord is C.
To find the second note of the chord calculate a major third from the root (E).
Then to find the third note of the chord calculate the perfect fifth from the root (G).

This applies if you are playing the C Major chord in root position.

The 1st inversion of the C chord starts with the note E.

The picture below shows how to play the notes of the C major chord on the piano in the first inversion:

In the 1st inversion, you shift the root of the C chord (C) up one octave compared to the root position.

The notes of the C chord in the 1st inversion are E – G – C.

The 2nd inversion of the C major chord starts with the note G.

Below you can see how to play the notes of the second inversion of the C major chord on the piano:

In the 2nd inversion, you also shift the third of the C chord (E) up one octave.

The notes of the 2nd inversion of the C chord are G – C – E.

Also, given that the C chord is a triad (it consists of three notes) there is no 3rd inversion because it would be the same as the root position.

The following articles show you how to play other C chords: