Guitar chord · Sevenths
C major 7th chord on guitar
x32000 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play Cmaj7 on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Lush and mellow — a signature sound of jazz, soul and bossa nova.
Cmaj7 is the Imaj7 chord in C major and IVmaj7 in G major. In minor keys: IIImaj7 in A minor and VImaj7 in E minor.
- Notes
- CEGB
- Formula
- 1357
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · major 7th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Open position
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): 3rd fret, middle finger (2) C
- 4th string (D): 2nd fret, index finger (1) E
- 3rd string (G): play open G
- 2nd string (B): play open B
- 1st string (high E): play open E
Tablature
e|--0---| B|--0---| G|--0---| D|--2---| A|--3---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every Cmaj7 note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing Cmaj7 on guitar
The open C shape with the index finger lifted, so the open B string supplies the major 7th (x32000).
You’ll find Cmaj7 in common progressions such as Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 (the jazz cadence in C major).
