Understand and Play the C#maj7 Chord

C#maj7 is the C# major seventh chord: root C#, major third E#, fifth G# and major seventh B#. Its seventh lies a semitone below the octave of the root.

The C# Lydian scale contains all four chord tones and has a raised fourth, so it is one scale to play over the chord. The page lists three voicings of C#maj7, two of them barre shapes. Its spelling includes E# and B#, so you will often see the chord written as Dbmaj7 instead. Three-note shell voicings keep the third and seventh and drop the fifth, a handy shortcut for chords like this one.

Strum the chord in front of your microphone and the player at the top shows which strings sound and which are muted.

C# major 7th guitar chord is also written as C#maj7, C#M7, C#Δ7 or C#ma7.

Notes that compose the C# maj7 chord:

C# E# G# B#

Formula of the Major Seventh chord:

Formula: 1 3 5 7

C# Maj7 Chord Interactive Fretboard

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Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

C# Maj7 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the G, B and high E strings at the same time
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the A string

Position 2 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the A and high E strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the B string

Position 3 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the high E string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the D string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes does C# major seventh contain?

C# major seventh is C#, E#, G# and B#. The B# is the major seventh, one semitone short of the octave of the root, and sounds like C.

Is C#maj7 the same as Dbmaj7?

They sound identical. C#maj7 is spelled C#, E#, G#, B#, and Dbmaj7 is spelled Db, F, Ab, C, which avoids E# and B#.

How many ways are there to play C#maj7?

C#maj7 has 3 voicings, 2 of them using a barre and none using open strings. The highest one reaches the 11th fret.

Where does C#maj7 fit in a key?

It is the I chord of C# major, and spelled as Dbmaj7 it is also the IV chord of Ab major. The notes come from the scale of each key.