Banjo C♯m chord (Sawmill)C♯ minor on the 5-string banjo: 2 1 1 2, and 4 more shapes

C#m chord chart for 5-string banjo in Sawmill tuning: 2 1 1 2, first position, with the short 5th string marked
C#m (C# minor) on the 5-string banjo, Sawmill: 2 1 1 2, string 4 to string 1. Fingers are numbered on the dots; copper marks the root; the green ring on the left is the 5th string, solid when it’s in the chord.

Frets, string 4 to string 1: 2 1 1 2 (first position)

  1. String 4 (D): 2nd fret, middle finger, E
  2. String 3 (G): 1st fret, index finger (barre), G♯
  3. String 2 (C): 1st fret, index finger (barre), C♯
  4. String 1 (D): 2nd fret, ring finger, E
  5. String 5, the short g: open, G, not in the chord

Sounds: E G♯ C♯ E  ·  C♯m is C♯, E, G♯ (1 · ♭3 · 5)

Found in: A major (iii), B major (ii), B mixolydian (ii), B dorian (ii), E major (vi), E mixolydian (vi)

The 5th string: the short g rubs against the G♯ in this shape, a semitone away: some players let it ring, some skip it.

With a capo: on the 1st fret it’s 1 0 0 1 (frets counted from the capo), an open Cm shape. Spike the 5th string at the 6th fret to keep it in tune with the capo.

Sawmill tuning: gDGCD, the short 5th string first, then strings 4 to 1.

Hear it in the app ›

The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts in open G. Choose Sawmill once in its Settings and it remembers.

More C♯m shapes

  1. 4fr2314gG♯C♯EG♯6 6 4 6
    4fr
  2. 8fr3214gC♯EG♯C♯11 9 8 11
    8fr
  3. 11fr1234gC♯G♯C♯E11 13 13 14
    11fr
  4. 13fr2113gEG♯C♯E14 13 13 14
    13fr

Other C♯ chords in Sawmill

C♯C♯mC♯7

Other minor chords

GmAmDmCmBmEmFmB♭mE♭mF♯mC♯mA♭m

C♯m in other tunings

Open GDouble COpen DC Tuning

All Sawmill banjo chords · Printable chart (PDF) · How to tune · The app