C♯m, the C♯ minor guitar chord

C♯ minor is the B minor grip slid up two frets: the index lies across five strings at the 4th fret and the low E stays out of the strum. It’s the sad chord in the key of E, sitting next to A and B in song after song. The barre presses easier up here, away from the nut, but the frets are narrower, and crowded fingertips start brushing their neighbors. As with Bm, the B string under the barre carries the note that makes the chord minor. Check that it rings.

C♯m
4frⓇ×1342

How to play it

  • Index finger flattened across the A string (5th) and high E string (1st), 4th fret.
  • Middle finger on the B string (2nd), 5th fret.
  • Ring finger on the D string (4th), 6th fret.
  • Pinky on the G string (3rd), 6th fret.
  • Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.

Changes to practice

Holding C♯m still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice C♯m as changes, alongside the rest of the A-shape Barres set:

Same root, different color