C♯ / D♭ chords on piano

About the C♯ chords on piano

All chords on this page share the root C♯. The plainest of them is C sharp major, built from C♯–E♯–G♯; B flat minor is its relative minor key.

C♯ appears in A flat major (IV), D flat major (I), F sharp major (V), F sharp minor (V).

Triads are three-note chords, the backbone of most songs. The C♯ triads are C♯ (C♯–E♯–G♯), C♯m (C♯–E–G♯), C♯dim (C♯–E–G), C♯aug (C♯–E♯–G𝄪).

Seventh chords add a fourth note, a seventh above the root, for a richer or more tense sound: C♯7 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B), C♯maj7 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B♯), C♯m7 (C♯–E–G♯–B), C♯dim7 (C♯–E–G–B♭), C♯m7♭5 (C♯–E–G–B), C♯m(maj7) (C♯–E–G♯–B♯), C♯aug7 (C♯–E♯–G𝄪–B).

Extended and added-note chords stack a sixth, ninth, eleventh or thirteenth on top. On C♯: C♯add9 (C♯–E♯–G♯–D♯), C♯m(add9) (C♯–E–G♯–D♯), C♯6 (C♯–E♯–G♯–A♯), C♯m6 (C♯–E–G♯–A♯), C♯9 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D♯), C♯m9 (C♯–E–G♯–B–D♯), C♯maj9 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B♯–D♯), C♯11 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D♯–F♯), C♯13 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D♯–A♯), C♯7♯9 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D𝄪), C♯7♭9 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D), C♯6/9 (C♯–E♯–G♯–A♯–D♯), C♯add11 (C♯–E♯–G♯–F♯).

Suspended chords replace the third with a second or fourth, so they sound open and unresolved: C♯sus2 (C♯–D♯–G♯), C♯sus4 (C♯–F♯–G♯), C♯7sus4 (C♯–F♯–G♯–B), C♯9sus4 (C♯–F♯–G♯–B–D♯).

On piano every C♯ chord keeps the same shape when you move it to another root; only the pattern of black and white keys changes. The keyboards show root position; each chord page has every inversion and the fingering for both hands.

Chords marked "diagram only" are less common and do not have their own page yet; the diagram and the notes above are all you need to play them.