C7 Chord on Guitar

1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.

C7 is a dominant seventh chord made of 4 notes: C, E, G, B♭. It sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below, and you hear it in blues, rock and roll, and the V chord that pulls a song back home. It is the V chord of F major and turns up in 2 other keys.

The library above opens on C7 with 14 shapes up and down the neck, starting with hand-checked ones. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in C7

NoteDegreeInterval from CSemitones
C1root0
E3major third4
G5perfect fifth7
B♭♭7minor seventh10

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord.

How to play C7

3241
Open positionEasyx32310
3fr134
A-shape barre at fret 3Mediumx35353
8fr132
E-shape barre at fret 8Medium8(10)8988
213
Fret 2Beginnerx323xx
5fr123
Fret 5Beginnerxxx556
7fr213
Fret 7Beginner878xxx

Open position (root on the 5th string), step by step

  1. 1st finger (index): 2nd string, 1st fret (C, the root).
  2. 2nd finger (middle): 4th string, 2nd fret (E, the major third).
  3. 3rd finger (ring): 5th string, 3rd fret (C, the root).
  4. 4th finger (little): 3rd string, 3rd fret (B♭, the minor seventh).
  5. Let the 1st string ring open (E).
  6. Strum from the 5th string, and keep the 6th string quiet.

Tips

The open position shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 8th fret (8(10)8988): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with C7

C7 belongs to 3 keys: V in F major, VII in D minor, V7 in F minor. In F major, try I–V–vi–IV: F – C7 – Dm – B♭.

Common questions

What notes are in C7?

C, E, G, B♭: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play C7?

Open position: x32310 (low string first), rated Easy.

What is the difference between C7 and Cmaj7?

C7 has B♭ where Cmaj7 has B. C7 sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below; Cmaj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful.

Is C7 a hard chord?

No. The easiest shape is rated Easy and needs 4 fingers.

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