C⁷

About the C7 chord

The C7 chord (dominant 7) is made up of 4 notes — C is the root, E the major third, G the perfect fifth and B♭ the minor seventh. It is a major triad with a minor seventh added on top, and that extra note creates the restless, bluesy pull.

On guitar, C7 chords are most often played in open position: x32310. Let the open high E string ring, and leave the low E string out. The diagrams above show 4 playable voicings in all.

Dominant seventh chords add bluesy tension that pulls toward resolution, central to blues, jazz and funk.

Open C7 in the interactive finder →

Common questions

What notes are in the C7 chord?

The C7 chord contains the notes C, E, G and B♭.

How do you play C7 on guitar?

A common open-position shape is x32310. The diagrams above show 4 playable voicings you can strum or hear.

What intervals make up the C7 chord?

The C7 chord is built from the root (C), a major third (E), a perfect fifth (G) and a minor seventh (B♭).

More than a chord chart

The chart above is just the start. Open C7 in the finder to hear it on guitar and piano and browse every playable voicing side by side. Or switch to Name my chord — tap frets or keys and MobileChords identifies the chord you're playing, inversions and slash chords included.