[Acoustic Guitar Chords] > How to Play the C5 Chord on the Guitar (Tips, Finger Positioning, and Exercises)
The C5 guitar chord will allow you to unlock countless songs on the guitar.
Why? Because it’s super easy to play, has a great sound, and it’s popular across many different genres.
It’s also a power chord, which means you can go wild with any number of riffs and chord progressions involving the C5 chord.
In this guide, I’m going to cover what exactly the C5 chord is, the different variations, and some exercises to really help you nail it.
So let’s get started!
What Is the C5 Chord?
The C5 guitar chord consists of two notes: C (the root) and G (the fifth).
If you’re new to power chords, I recommend checking out this quick power chord guide.
While power chords are known for sounding awesome – thanks to the likes of The Ramones and Bon Jovi – they’re also known for their simplicity.
Power chords have a few other distinguishing features:
- They usually only consist of two notes.
- They have no major or minor tonality.
- They only require the root and the fifth scale degree of a chord.
The C5 power chord on guitar has a very crunchy sound to it that lends itself well to a distorted guitar.
This is actually the case for all power chords, but they also sound great on acoustic guitar.
The C5 guitar chord, in comparison to the C chord, strikes a perfect fifth as the third is omitted.
We’ll work our way through a couple of chord diagrams below to help you visualize how a power chord works.
How to Play the C5 Chord on the Guitar
As with many guitar chords, there are a couple of different ways to play the C5 guitar chord ranging from very easy to intermediate.
The Easiest C5 Chord
Let’s start off with the most common variation. This option only requires two fingers and very simple finger placement.
How to place your fingers for the C5 guitar chord
- Index finger on the 3rd fret of the A string
- Middle finger on the 5th fret of the D string
- Strum down on those 2 strings, omitting all other strings.
And that’s it!
One of the great things about this variation, and many power chord variations, is the fact that it’s a movable chord.
A movable chord does exactly what it says on the tin – it moves. You can take the same finger positioning on the same chords as above and move it along the fretboard to play different chords.
Alternate Versions of the C5 Chord
Now that you know how to play the simple version of the C5 chord, let’s pick things up a bit with a few more variations.
Variation 1
Now let’s move on to the three string variation. This one is not too dissimilar from the previous variation, and simply involves an extra note.
Place your fingers in the following positions:
- Index finger on the 3rd fret of the A string
- Middle finger on the 5th fret of the D string
- Ring finger on the 5th fret of the G string
Now strum down on those three strings, omitting all other strings.
Variation 2
This next variation combines a moveable shape with an open string.
To play this variation of the C5 power chord, place your fingers in the following position:
- Index finger on the 10th fret of the D string
- Middle finger on the 12th fret of the G string
- Ring finger on the 13th fret of the B string
Strum down on all strings except the high and low E strings, leaving the A string open.
Variation 3
This next variation is the barre chord version of the C5 chord.
Barre chords are usually more difficult and are more demanding on the index finger as you have to hold down multiple strings across a single fret.
But with a bit of practice, you’ll be able to pull them off in no time!
To play the barre variation of the C5 chord, place your fingers in the following positions:
- Index finger to barre the low E string and the A string on the 3rd fret
- Middle finger on the 5th fret of the A string
Strum the first three strings of the guitar.
And that’s it! Even for a barre variation that was smooth, right?
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Yes, I Want the FREE Download!C5 Chord Guitar Finger Positioning
Now that we’ve worked through a couple of variations, let’s look at ways to help you nail your finger positioning.
These tips are especially helpful for moveable chords as you’ll be moving the same finger positioning all the way up and down the fretboard.
Follow these tips for a really clear sound:
- Make sure your hand feels loose and limber, not tense or forced.
- Ensure your thumb is pressed firmly against the back of the guitar neck.
- Arch your fingers for more precision and to avoid touching other strings.
C5 Guitar Chord Exercises
Now that we’ve examined some variations, let’s take a look at some ways to practice them.
One of my favorite exercises for practicing chords is surprisingly easy yet very effective:
- Form a C5 guitar chord.
- Strum four times.
- Lift your fingers from the fretboard.
- Strum four times.
- Repeat.
Once you’ve done this a few times, you can also practice moving the power chord shape along the fretboard. This will help you really memorize the shape.
To practice getting into position more smoothly, I always recommend switching back and forth between the C5 guitar chord and the other chords you’re already familiar with.
If you’re looking to improve your chord changes and avoid any awkward pauses, check out my chord transition tips.
Continuing Your Guitar Journey
Now that you’ve nailed the C5 chord, where to next?
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