Sevenths
C dominant 7th chord
Bluesy tension that pulls strongly toward the chord a 5th below.
C7 is the V7 chord in F major. In minor keys: V7 in F minor.
- Notes
- CEGB♭
- Formula
- 135♭7
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th
How to play C7
About the C dominant 7th chord
C7 adds a B♭ to C major, giving it a bluesy edge that pulls strongly toward F. It’s the V7 of F major and the home chord of a 12-bar blues in C.
Playing it
On guitar, C7 has an open-position shape, x32310, using four fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E string.
On piano, C7 has one black key (B♭) and three white keys.
On ukulele it takes a single finger (0001), which makes C7 one of the simplest chords on the instrument.
Related chords
Take away the root and the other three notes form Edim (E G B♭) — so you can think of C7 as Edim with C added underneath.
Move a single note and C7 becomes a different chord: drop the B♭ for C, raise B♭ to B for Cmaj7, lower E to E♭ for Cm7 and lower B♭ to A for C6.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find C7 in common progressions such as C7–F7–G7 (the 12-bar blues in C major) and Gm7–C7–Fmaj7 (the jazz cadence in F major).
