C/B Guitar Chord
C/B is a C chord with B as the bass note. B is not a chord tone of C — it is a chromatic passing note in the bass that gives C/B a distinct sound from a standard C voicing. The notes in context are B, C, E, G. It appears in the iconic descending bass line C → C/B → Am → Am/G, where the bass walks down from C(48) through B(47) and A(45) to G(43) along the A string. This chromatic descent is one of the most recognisable patterns in acoustic pop, rock, and singer-songwriter guitar.
Notes in the C/B Chord
C/B is a C chord with B as the lowest sounding note. B is not a chord tone of C — it is a chromatic passing note placed below the harmony. The notes in context are B, C, E, G. Because B sits outside the C chord structure, C/B has a distinct colour from a standard C voicing and is most effective as a brief passing chord rather than a stable resting point.
What Does C/B Mean?
In chord notation, a slash chord is written as Chord/Bass — the letter before the slash is the chord to play, and the letter after the slash is the specific note that should sound as the lowest pitch. For C/B, this means: play C with B in the bass.
Unlike a first or second inversion — where the bass note is always a chord tone — B is not part of the C chord. This makes C/B a chromatic slash chord rather than a standard inversion. B acts as a passing note in the bass: a brief chromatic step that connects two harmonies more smoothly than a straight root-to-root jump would.
Guitarists use chromatic bass passing chords like C/B to create stepwise bass movement in progressions where the natural root movement would otherwise produce a leap. The technique is borrowed from classical voice leading and is especially common in acoustic pop, folk, and singer-songwriter guitar.
Keys That Contain C/B
C (the chord above the slash) is a diatonic chord in these keys. C/B can be used in any context where C naturally appears:
Common Uses of C/B in Progressions
C/B is most often used as a passing chord rather than an opening or closing chord. It appears between root-position chords to create a stepwise bass line:
Use our chords in a key tool to find all the chords that naturally appear alongside C in any key.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does C/B mean?
C/B is a slash chord — it means: play C with B as the lowest note. Unlike a standard inversion, B is not a chord tone of C. It is a chromatic passing note placed in the bass to create smooth stepwise movement between two chords.
Is C/B the same as C?
No — C/B and C do not contain the same notes. C uses its own chord tones only. C/B adds B as an extra bass note below the C harmony, giving it the notes: B, C, E, G. This makes it a distinct voicing with a different colour.
How do you play C/B on guitar?
Place your fingers according to the chord diagram above. The goal is to ensure B sounds as the lowest note — on guitar this typically means playing B on the lowest string used and muting any open strings below it. The "X" symbols in the diagram show which strings to mute.
What key is C/B in?
C/B most commonly appears in keys where C is diatonic: C Major, G Major, F Major. It functions as a chromatic passing chord between two adjacent harmonies rather than as a standalone chord with its own harmonic function within the key.
Other C Chords
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