Piano Chord Encyclopedia

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C Piano Chords

Welcome to this comprehensive guide to C piano chords. Whether you are a beginner pianist seeking to understand the fundamentals of chords, or an experienced musician looking to expand your knowledge, this guide aims to provide you with a detailed understanding of the chords that can be built on the note C.

Chords are the building blocks of music and are essential for creating harmony. By understanding C piano chords, you will gain a deeper insight into the theory of chord structure and be able to incorporate a wider range of C chords into your playing.

Throughout this guide, we will delve into the theory behind C piano chords, examining the concepts of major, minor, diminished, augmented, and seventh chords. Then, we’ll break down of each chord type that can be built on the note C, including examples of how they can be used in music.

At the end of this guide, you will have a comprehensive understanding of C piano chords, enabling you to recognize them quickly in your music.

VIDEO: How to play C piano chords

Triads: Basic chords built on C

The four triads that can be built on the note C for the piano are major, minor, diminished, and augmented. Each of these triads is made up of a different set of three notes and has a unique sound and function in music.

C major chord (C)
C minor chord (Cm)
C diminished chord (C°)
C augmented chord (C+)

Seventh chords built on C

Seventh chords are a crucial aspect of functional harmony in piano music. A seventh chord is a chord consisting of four notes, a root note, a third, a fifth, and a seventh. In the case of C seventh chords, the root note is C, and the remaining three notes are specific intervals above the root. There are five types of seventh chords that can be built on the note C:

C dominant seventh chord (C7)
C major seventh chord (Cmaj7)
C minor seventh chord (Cm7)
C half-diminished seventh chord (Cm7♭5 or C^ø7)
C diminished seventh chord (Cdim7 or C°7)

Understanding the function and sound of each of these seventh chords built on C will help you understand the more complex harmonies and textures you encounter in your music.

Complete lessons on C piano chords

The links below will take you to a comprehensive overview of each C piano chord, including fingering charts, inversions, practice tips, and more.

C Major Chord

C Major Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E G
Chord Symbol	C
Audio Sample

The C major chord is comprised of three notes: C, E, and G. It is the tonic triad in the key of C major and consists of all white keys. The C major chord has a bright and happy sound and is commonly used in upbeat and uplifting music.

Full Chord Lesson

C Minor Chord

C Minor Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E♭ G
Chord Symbol	Cm
Audio Sample

The C minor chord is comprised of three notes: C, E-flat, and G. It is the tonic triad in the key of C minor and has a shape of two outer white keys with a black key in the middle.

Full Chord Lesson

C Augmented Chord

C Augmented Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E G♯
Chord Symbol	Caug or C+
Audio Sample

The C augmented chord (Caug): The augmented triad built on C consists of the notes C, E, and G-sharp. It is made up of a root note (C), a major third (E), and an augmented fifth (G-sharp). The augmented triad has a bright and unsettling sound and is often used to create a sense of tension and release in music.

Full Chord Lesson

C Diminished Chord

C Diminished Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E♭ G♭
Chord Symbol	Cdim or C°
Audio Sample

The C diminished chord (Cdim): The diminished triad built on C consists of the notes C, E-flat, and G-flat. It is made up of a root note (C), a minor third (E-flat), and a diminished fifth (G-flat). The diminished triad has a tense and dissonant sound and is often used to create a sense of tension or unease in music.

Full Chord Lesson

C Dominant 7th Chord

C Dominant 7th Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E G B♭
Chord Symbol	C7
Audio Sample

The C dominant seventh chord (C7): This chord is made up of the notes C, E, G, and B-flat. It consists of a major triad (C-E-G) with the addition of a minor seventh (B-flat). The C7 chord has a strong and dominant sound, and is commonly used as a modulatory chord or to prepare a return to the tonic of the key.

Full Chord Lesson

C Major 7th Chord

C Major 7th Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E G B
Chord Symbol	Cmaj7
Audio Sample

The C major seventh chord (Cmaj7): This chord is made up of the notes C, E, G, and B. It consists of a major triad (C-E-G) with the addition of a major seventh (B). The Cmaj7 chord has a bright and jazzy sound.

Full Chord Lesson

C Minor 7th Chord

C Minor 7th Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E♭ G B♭
Chord Symbol	Cm7
Audio Sample

The C minor seventh chord (Cm7): This chord is made up of the notes C, E-flat, G, and B-flat. It consists of a minor triad (C-E♭-G) with the addition of a minor seventh (B-flat). The Cm7 chord has a melancholic and introspective sound

Full Chord Lesson

C Half-Diminished 7th Chord

C Half-Diminished 7th Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E♭ G♭ B♭
Chord Symbol	Cm7♭5 or C^ø7
Audio Sample

The C half-diminished seventh chord (Cm7♭5): This chord is made up of the notes C, E-flat, G-flat, and B-flat. It consists of a diminished triad (C-E-flat-G-flat) with the addition of a minor seventh (B-flat). The C half-diminished seventh chord has a tense and unstable sound, and is often used to create dissonance and tension.

Full Chord Lesson

C Diminished 7th Chord

C Diminished 7th Chord Overview
Chord Notes	C E♭ G♭ B𝄫
Chord Symbol	Cdim7 or C°7
Audio Sample

The C diminished seventh chord (Cdim7): This chord is made up of the notes C, E-flat, G-flat, and B-double flat. It consists of a diminished triad (C-E♭ -G♭) with the addition of a diminished seventh (B-double flat). The Cdim7 chord has a dissonant and unstable sound, and is often used to create tension and instability.

Full Chord Lesson

Diatonic C piano chords

Diatonic chords are formed by stacking thirds on top of each note of a scale. Diatonic chords give you more insight into the function of chords and the hierarchy of how they interact in music.

The diatonic chords based on C are:

Extended C piano chords

While this C piano chord guide focuses on the chords you’ll find in functional harmony, it’s important to keep in mind that there are many other chord combinations that occur. These are commonly called extended chords.

Extended chords are chords that include additional notes beyond the basic triad (root, third, and fifth) and the seventh chord (root, third, fifth, and seventh). These additional notes are often referred to as extensions or upper structures.

Extended chords built on C include:

C Major Ninth (Cmaj9): C, E, G, B, D
C Major Eleventh (Cmaj11): C, E, G, B, D, F
C Major Thirteenth (Cmaj13): C, E, G, B, D, F, A
C Major Add9 (Cadd9): C, E, G, D
C Major Suspended 2 (Csus2): C, D, G
C Major Suspended 4 (Csus4): C, F, G
C Minor Ninth (Cm9): C, E♭, G, B♭, D
C Minor Eleventh (Cm11): C, E♭, G, B♭, D, F
C Minor Thirteenth (Cm13): C, E♭, G, B♭, D, F, A
C Dominant Ninth (C9): C, E, G, B♭, D
C Dominant Eleventh (C11): C, E, G, B♭, D, F
C Dominant Thirteenth (C13): C, E, G, B♭, D, F, A
C Dominant Add9 (Cadd9): C, E, G, B♭, D
C Minor-Major Ninth (CmMaj9): C, E♭, G, B, D
C Minor Add9 (Cmadd9): C, E♭, G, D
C Minor Seventh Flat Five (Cm7♭5): C, E♭, G♭, B♭
C Augmented Major Seventh (Cmaj7♯5): C, E, G♯, B
C Augmented Seventh (C7♯5): C, E, G♯, B♭

Note that “add” chords add a specific note to the basic triad without changing the basic quality of the chord, while “sus” chords replace the third with either the second or fourth note of the scale. These chords can also add color and variation to chord progressions, and are commonly used in pop, rock, and other genres of music.

Extended chords can add more complexity, color, and harmonic richness to a chord progression or composition. The most common extended chords include the ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords. These chords can be used in a variety of musical genres, including jazz, funk, blues, pop, and R&B.

To explore charts and diagrams for extended C piano chords, check out the database on this page.

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