Open C Tuning Chord Shapes: A Practical Starter Chart

Set open C first — and watch the 2nd string

Every shape on this page assumes the six strings are in open C. Five of the six strings move down or stay put. One does not.

The 2nd string is the one to slow down on. In standard tuning it is B; in open C it is C, which means it is tuned higher than it was, not lower. If it lands on A#/Bb instead — a semitone below C — every shape on this page will sound wrong, and the mistake is easy to make because the other four moving strings all go down.

Which shape do you need?

Pick what you are trying to play. Each card names the shape family and the exact rule behind it.

Open C chord chart: every position

Read the fret, then play the shape. Everything sits between the open strings and the 12th fret.

Major shapes

Minor shapes

Dominant 7th shapes

Sharps and flats are the same fret here — D# and Eb are one position, so read whichever name you use. The names change; the frets do not.

Why one rule set covers all of it

Every shape on this page comes from what each open string is doing in the chord. Once you can name that, you can build a chord that is not on the chart.

1. The 6th, 4th, and 2nd strings are all C, so a barre across them puts the root of the chord on three strings.
2. The 3rd and 5th strings are both G, so a barre across them puts the fifth on two strings.
3. The 1st string is the only E, and E is the major third of C. That single string decides whether the chord is major or minor, which is why moving only that string changes the whole chord.
4. Because the barre carries the root, the chord is named by the fret you barre, not by a shape you memorized.

Learn these in this order

1. Set the six strings to C–G–C–G–C–E and confirm the 2nd string is C, not A#/Bb. Play all six strings and listen for a clean C major chord.
2. Barre at fret 5. That is F. Use the side of the index finger, press just behind the fret, and let the finger stay close to the fretboard.
3. Barre at fret 7. That is G. You now have C, F, and G — the I, IV, and V in C — from one shape at three frets.
4. Lower only the 1st string one fret below whichever barre you are holding. Barre 7 with the 1st string at fret 6 is G minor. The rest of the hand does not move.
5. Add the 5th string three frets above the barre. Barre 7 with the 5th string at fret 10 is G7. This is the shape that carries most blues, folk, and rock progressions in open C.
6. Move the whole shape up or down the neck to transpose. The shape does not change; only the fret does.

What usually goes wrong

• Tuning the 2nd string down instead of up. It goes from B to C, a semitone higher. If it sounds like the shape is wrong no matter what you do, check that string first.
• Squeezing the barre harder than the strings need. Extra pressure bends a string and pulls it sharp, so the chord reads out of tune even though the open strings were in tune a moment ago. Press only until the string touches the fret cleanly.
• Bringing standard-tuning shapes along. A shape you know from Standard EADGBE has no reason to produce the same chord in open C, because the intervals between the strings are different. Start from the chart instead of from memory.
• Reading the strings as if they were standard tuning. The 5th string is G here, not A, and the 2nd string is C, not B. Shapes built around the 5th string as a root will not land where you expect.
• Expecting a set of open chords. Open C gives you exactly one open chord — C major. Everything else is a shape you move, which is the point of the tuning.
• Leaving the 7th on a chord that wants to move. A dominant 7th pulls toward the chord a fifth below. It is a passing colour, not a home chord.
• A 2nd string that keeps dropping right after you tune it up. That is a tuning-stability problem, not a chord-shape problem. The restringing and tuning-stability checklist on this site walks through it in order.
• A chord that sounds sour while every open string reads in tune. That is usually pressure or intonation rather than the shape. The intonation and setup checks on this site cover what to look at.

When open C is not a straight swap

• Capo. A capo raises every shape on this page by the number of the fret it sits on. A capo at fret 5 with the open shape sounds F, and the charts still read the same way relative to the capo.
• Twelve-string and extended-range instruments. The target notes above name six strings. Instruments with more strings or paired courses need their own string list, so work from the instrument's actual string count rather than assuming six.
• A different string set. Moving an instrument into open C changes the tension on the neck and the feel under the fingers. Whether a particular set suits a particular instrument is the maker's question.
• An instrument that has not been played in a while. Older strings read inconsistently and a moved instrument goes out with the room. Retune, give it a day, and retune again before deciding anything is wrong.
• An instrument that needs setup work. If the tuning itself is fine and the instrument still plays stiffly, rattles, or will not hold, that is a setup question. The intonation and setup-order walkthrough on this site covers the order to work in and where to stop.
• Vintage, repaired, or unusually valuable instruments. If you are not certain the instrument should carry the change in tuning, stop and have a qualified guitar tech check it before you tune it up to pitch.

Where this page ends

Everything above is chord shapes and tuning. These are the jobs that are not, and no chart makes them safe to guess at.

• Filing, widening, or smoothing a nut slot
• Adjusting the truss rod
• Reshaping or moving a saddle, or working on the bridge
• Changing the string gauge and re-setting the instrument up for it
• Working on a vintage, repaired, or unusually valuable instrument

If the manufacturer's official manual describes a procedure you are not equipped for, stop there. Follow that manual for your instrument, or have a qualified guitar tech do the work. A setup costs far less than a damaged neck.

Frequently asked questions