About the C7 chord
The dominant seventh adds a flattened seventh to a major chord. It has a bluesy tension that wants to resolve, usually to the chord a fourth above. Blues and rock lean on it heavily. The symbol for it is C7.
How to play C7
- Put your index finger on the B string at fret 1.
- Put your middle finger on the D string at fret 2.
- Put your ring finger on the A string at fret 3.
- Put your little finger on the G string at fret 3.
- Strum and let the high E string ring open, and don't play the low E string.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of C major
These are the chords built on each note of the C major scale, so they all sound good together with C7. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other C chords
C7 chord questions
What notes are in a C7 chord?
C7 is made of C, E, G and B♭. In intervals that is 1, 3, 5, ♭7 above the root, C.
What is the easiest way to play C7?
The first shape above is the most common one: x 3 2 3 1 0 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. Start there, and try the other shapes once it feels comfortable.
Is C7 a barre chord?
The main shape above is an open chord with no barre. Some of the other shapes further up the neck do use a barre, which lets you move the same shape to any key.