1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.
Cmaj7 is a major seventh chord made of 4 notes: C, E, G, B. It sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful, and you hear it in ballads, bossa nova, neo-soul and lo-fi. It is the I chord of C major and turns up in 3 other keys.
The library above opens on Cmaj7 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.
| Note | Degree | Interval from C | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | root | 0 |
| E | 3 | major third | 4 |
| G | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| B | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – 7. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord.
x32000x35453x3240xx35500xxx557879xxxThe open position shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 5th fret (xxx557): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.
Cmaj7 belongs to 4 keys: I in C major, IV in G major, VI in E minor, III in A minor. In C major, try I–V–vi–IV: Cmaj7 – G – Am – F.
C, E, G, B: the root, major third, fifth, major seventh.
Open position: x32000 (low string first), rated Beginner.
Cmaj7 has B where C7 has B♭. Cmaj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful; C7 sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below.
No. The easiest shape is rated Beginner and needs 2 fingers.