C#m ukulele chord
C#m (C sharp minor) is built from C#, E and G#, the degrees 1–b3–5. On ukulele, the main shape is 1 1 0 4, the first diagram, marked with the star.
From C# major to C#m, a single note moves — and it feels like the season changed. Press play down there and check.
Hear C#m before you play
Why C#m sounds this way
The trick is smaller than it sounds. Two of the three notes didn't move: C# and G# stayed put. Only the middle one dropped — a half step, the smallest distance in music — and became E. Play the arpeggio again, no rush and stop at the second note. That's the one. Half a step separates a sunny day from a Monday morning.
How to play C#m on ukulele
On the ukulele, the high reentrant G makes every shape light — and with four strings, every note is exposed. So the first position below is your way in (1 open string helping) — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Now the exercise that teaches more than any paragraph: C# major, then C#m, then major again. Back and forth ten times, slowly. Your ear learns the difference before your brain does.
In the app: 7 C#m shapes on ukulele
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio and the campanella of each shape are part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · see it in Chord and Fret
Once the first shape comes out without thinking, the positions below are waiting. That's where C#m lives in songs that roam the neck.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
C#m notes and degrees
C#m stacks the root C#, the minor third E and the perfect fifth G#.
Where C#m shows up
In real music, C#m works almost always as i in C# minor, v in F# minor, iv in G# minor. In pop everywhere it tends to be the famous vi — the chord the chorus runs to when it wants to get serious without changing key. You've heard it a thousand times; now you'll start noticing it.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · open in Chord and Fret
Where C#m usually goes
Treating C#m as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (F#m) or the dominant (G#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
Going beyond C#m
When it's time to improvise, C# Dorian (C# D# E F# G# A# B · 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7: the minor scale with a major sixth — the minor that smirks); C# Aeolian (C# D# E F# G# A B · 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the natural minor, the major scale's relative sibling); C# Phrygian (C# D E F# G# A B · 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the minor with a lowered second — a Spanish seasoning) work in full. The swaps below are the chord's cousins: different color, same job.
C# Dorian
In the app: the 7 positions of C# Dorian on ukulele
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same C# Dorian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scale: The scale's positions across the neck, with degree, note and finger labels, free; playing the scale and the tempo-ramp exercise are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
Scales to improvise over C#m
To improvise over C#m as home, the C# Aeolian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (G#) pulls back, the leading tone C is the note that wants to resolve home.
Swaps that work:
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
There's one step left in this story. The serious C#m you just learned has a softer, late-afternoon version that lo-fi and bossa nova love: C#m7. Go hear the difference.
C#m chord questions
What notes are in the C#m chord?
The C#m chord is made of the notes C#, E and G#.
How do you play C#m on ukulele?
Form the shape from string 4 to string 1: 1 1 0 4. “0” means play it open.
What chord comes after C#m?
Treating C#m as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (F#m) or the dominant (G#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
What scale works over C#m?
To improvise over C#m as home, the C# Aeolian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.