C#m arpeggio
C# Minor — the notes C#, E, G# played one at a time, bottom-up and back.
Musical context
How the arpeggio relates to the chord, scale, mode and key.
How to play the arpeggio
Theory
General info
- Full name
- C# Minor
- Root
- C#
- Quality
- Minor
- Type
- Minor triad
- Note count
- 3
- Brief character
- Dark, lyrical sound — the basis of minor harmony. The minor third instead of a major one gives the triad its characteristic sadness and depth.
Soft, contemplative, introspective. Sadness, lyricism, nostalgia, depth.
Recognized by the characteristic "sad" tone of the minor third.
Notes & degrees
Minor triad: 1-b3-5.
On the piano
An arpeggio is a broken chord: the same notes played one after another rather than together, bottom-up and back. On the piano they are usually split between the two hands — in an accompaniment, for instance, the left hand carries the bass while the right fills in the figuration.
Any chord can be played arpeggiato or turned into figuration — a broken bass, Alberti figures, a waltz accompaniment. Unlike the guitar, where an arpeggio is tied to the order the strings are plucked, there is no fixed fingering “shape” here — evenness and legato between the notes matter most.
Chord basis
Differs from major by the lowered third (b3 instead of 3).
Function and tensions
Tonic function in minor. In major it is the mediant (iii) or submediant (vi).
Stable as the tonic of minor, auxiliary as vi in major.
Harmonic context
Degree i of minor, degrees ii and vi of major.
Natural and harmonic minor, Aeolian mode.
Support for minor melodies and blues phrases.
Compatible scales & modes
All chord tones are contained in these scales — use them for improvisation.
Diatonic chords
This arpeggio on guitar 🎸
See how C#m looks on guitar.
Circle of fifths
Keys where this chord functions as a scale degree, on the circle of fifths.
How to play on piano
Practice
Keyboard Trainer
Reinforce it in practice — play and name notes on the interactive keyboard.