Which notes are in the C7 chord?

C7 contains the notes C, E, G and A#. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7.

How many ways can you play C7?

Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for C7, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the C7 chord hard to play?

Not really. The open position of C7 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

C dominant 7th · Guitar

C7 Chord on Guitar

The C7 chord (C dominant 7th) is built from the notes C, E, G and A#. 3 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1open position

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 3 — ring finger
string 4 (D): fret 2 — middle finger
string 3 (G): fret 3 — little finger
string 2 (B): fret 1 — index finger
string 1 (E): played open

Position 2barre shape · starts at fret 3

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 3 — index finger
string 4 (D): fret 5 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 3 — index finger
string 2 (B): fret 5 — little finger
string 1 (E): fret 3 — index finger

Position 3barre shape · starts at fret 8

Fingering

string 6 (E): fret 8 — index finger
string 5 (A): fret 10 — ring finger
string 4 (D): fret 8 — index finger
string 3 (G): fret 9 — middle finger
string 2 (B): fret 8 — index finger
string 1 (E): fret 8 — index finger

Notes in this chord

C
E
G
A♯

Degrees: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7

How to play

C7 has 1 open position and 2 barre shapes. Start with the open voicing if you are new to it; the barre shapes exist to move the same chord further up the neck without changing the key.

Theory behind the chord

Dominant seventh chords add a minor seventh on top of a major triad. The tension between the third and the seventh is what makes them pull towards the chord a fourth above — the engine of blues and jazz turnarounds. On C7 this structure sits on the root C, so the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 map onto C, E, G and A#.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the C7 chord?: C7 contains the notes C, E, G and A#. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7.
How many ways can you play C7?: Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for C7, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
Is the C7 chord hard to play?: Not really. The open position of C7 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

Practise C7 on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.