C7 Chord on Guitar
Notes C E G B♭. Start with open C7 (x 3 2 3 1 0): the open C with the pinky added on string 3 at fret 3.
Chord · C7 dominant 7th
Open C7 · x 3 2 3 1 0
open strings
A7-shape barre (fret 3) · x 3 5 3 5 3
barre, movable
E7-shape barre (fret 8) · 8 10 8 9 8 8
barre, movable
1 C3 E5 G♭7 B♭
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 3
- String 4 (D): middle (2), fret 2
- String 3 (G): pinky (4), fret 3
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 1
- String 1 (high e): open
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at fret 3
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): index (1), fret 3
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 5
- String 3 (G): index (1), fret 3
- String 2 (B): pinky (4), fret 5
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 3
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at fret 8
- String 6 (low E): index (1), fret 8
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 10
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 8
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 9
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 8
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 8
Notes and formula
| Degree | Note | Interval from C |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root |
| 3 | E | major 3rd |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor 7th |
Formula 1 3 5 ♭7 (dominant 7th).
Also written C 7th, C dominant 7th.
More on this chord type: Dominant 7th chords · 7th chords explained
Capo shapes that sound as C7
Open shapes you may already know, moved up with a capo.
B7 shape + capo 1
A7 shape + capo 3
G7 shape + capo 5
Need the capo fret for a whole song? Capo calculator: any song key, any shapes. New to the capo? How to use a capo.
Where C7 leads
As a dominant 7th, C7 is the V7 of F major and pulls to F: C7 → F.
| 12-bar blues in | C7 is the | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| C | I7 | |
| G | IV7 | |
| F | V7 |
Keys that contain C7
| Key | C7 is the |
|---|---|
| F major | V7 |
| D minor | VII7 |
Minor keys here use the natural minor scale.
Playing C7: what goes wrong
C7 leads to F
C7 is the V7 chord of F major. In songs in C, playing C7 just before F (the IV chord) makes that change pull harder.
Keep the high e open
The open string 1 is E, the 3rd of the chord. The pinky reaching to string 3 must not lean on it: come down on the tip.
Related chords
Learn and practise C7
- Metronomepractise the change to C7 at 60 BPM
- How to read chord chartsstrings, frets, fingers, x and o
- Chord finder (chord namer)name any other shape you find
FAQ
What notes are in C7?
C, E, G, B♭: the 1, 3, 5, ♭7 of the C7 dominant 7th chord.
What is the difference between C and C7?
C7 adds B♭, the flat 7th: C, E, G, B♭. On the open shape the pinky puts B♭ on string 3 at fret 3, where C has the open G.