C7 guitar chord

C dominant 7th · Cdom7 · C seventh

The C7 guitar chord is played x32310 in open position. Its notes are C, E, G and Bb.

C7 open chord (x32310)

Fingering: x32310
Fingers: – 3 2 4 1 –
Difficulty: Easy
Position: open position

C7 barre chord, 3rd fret (335353)

Fingering: 335353
Fingers: 1 1 3 1 4 1
Difficulty: Medium
Position: barre chord, 3rd fret

C7 chord at the 5th fret (xx5556)

Fingering: xx5556
Fingers: – – 1 1 1 2
Difficulty: Easy
Position: 5th fret

C7 barre chord, 8th fret (8-10-8-9-8-8)

Fingering: 8-10-8-9-8-8
Fingers: 1 3 1 2 1 1
Difficulty: Hard
Position: barre chord, 8th fret

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Notes in the C dominant 7th chord

The C7 chord is made of C · E · G · B♭. Its formula is 1–3–5–♭7.

Note	Degree	Interval from C
C	1	root
E	3	major third
G	5	perfect fifth
B♭	♭7	minor seventh

How to play the C7 guitar chord

Put your first finger on the 1st fret of the B string.
Put your second finger on the 2nd fret of the D string.
Put your third finger on the 3rd fret of the A string.
Put your fourth finger on the 3rd fret of the G string.
Let the high E string ring open.
Strum from the A string down and leave the low E string out.

That is the open-position shape, x32310. It is rated easy: 4 fingers, 5 strings.

Why your C7 chord buzzes or sounds muted

The open high E string sits next to a fretted string. Arch your fingers so only the fingertips touch, or that string will sound dead.

Low E string is not part of this C7 shape. Start your strum on the A string, or rest your thumb on the unused string to keep it quiet.

C7 barre chord

C7 has 2 barre shapes here: 335353 (barre at the 3rd fret) and 8-10-8-9-8-8 (barre at the 8th fret).

A barre shape has no open strings, so it moves. Slide any of them up one fret and you are playing C#7 (Db7).

C7 open chord

The open C7 chord is x32310. It uses the open high E string, which is why it rings longer than the shapes higher up the neck.

Songs that use C7

Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington Jr.): Dbmaj7 C7 Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7

Chord names only, as the songs are usually charted for guitar. Recordings may use a capo or another key.

Keys with the C7 chord

C7 is the V chord in F major. In minor keys it is the VII chord in D minor.

All 7th guitar chords

C7 guitar chord questions

How do you play a C7 chord on guitar?

Play x32310, reading from the low E string to the high E string. An x means the string is not played and a 0 means it rings open. The fingers used are - 3 2 4 1 -.

What notes are in the C7 chord?

The C dominant 7th chord has 4 notes: C, E, G and Bb. Its formula is 1–3–5–♭7, counted from the C major scale.

What keys is the C7 chord in?