4 notes · 1 · 3 · 5 · 7

C Major Seventh Piano Chord (Cmaj7)

Cmaj7 is built from C, E, G and B — the formula 1 · 3 · 5 · 7, or 4, 7 and 11 semitones above C. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

C Major seventh

Notes

C · E · G · B

Formula

1 · 3 · 5 · 7

Right hand

1 · 2 · 3 · 5

Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).

The finder above already holds Cmaj7. Press P or the Play chord button to hear C, E, G, B sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in Cmaj7

A major seventh chord places the seventh degree of the major scale on top of a major triad, one semitone below the octave. That narrow interval rubs gently against the root and produces the soft, hazy quality heard throughout jazz, soul and slow ballads. It is the natural seventh chord on the first and fourth degrees of a major scale.

Each tone of C major seventh with its interval, scale degree, distance in semitones from C and a suggested right-hand finger.
Note	Interval	Degree	Semitones	Right hand
Cwhite key	Root	1	0	1 · thumb
Ewhite key	Major third	3	4	2 · index finger
Gwhite key	Perfect fifth	5	7	3 · middle finger
Bwhite key	Major seventh	7	11	5 · little finger

Step by step

How to play Cmaj7 on piano

Find C: it is the white key immediately left of every group of two black keys.
Build upwards from C using 4, 7 and 11 semitones to reach E, G and B.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on C, finger 2 on E, finger 3 on G and finger 5 on B. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
Every note here is a white key, so you can sit your hand slightly further out from the fallboard.
Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how Cmaj7 settles.
Try first inversion as well: E – G – B – C. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

Cmaj7 in 4 positions

An inversion keeps the same 4 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.

Root position

C – E – G – B

The root C is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.

First inversion

E – G – B – C

E is the lowest note, so the major third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

Second inversion

G – B – C – E

G is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

Third inversion

B – C – E – G

B is the lowest note, so the major seventh sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

In context

Which keys contain Cmaj7

In C major the chord functions as Imaj7. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 4 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

C majorImaj7
G majorIVmaj7
E minorVImaj7
A minorIIImaj7

Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.

Compare

Cmaj7 against C7

Cmaj7 and C7 share C, E and G. Moving the minor seventh Bb up 1 semitone to the major seventh B turns C7 into Cmaj7.

Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes C, E, G still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.

Open C7 →

Good questions

Cmaj7 questions

What notes are in the Cmaj7 chord?

Cmaj7 contains C, E, G and B. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 3 · 5 · 7, or 4, 7 and 11 semitones above C.

What is the right-hand fingering for Cmaj7?

A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on C, 2 (index finger) on E, 3 (middle finger) on G and 5 (little finger) on B. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.

How is Cmaj7 different from C7?

Cmaj7 and C7 share C, E and G. Moving the minor seventh Bb up 1 semitone to the major seventh B turns C7 into Cmaj7.

Which keys use the Cmaj7 chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (Imaj7), G major (IVmaj7), E minor (VImaj7) and A minor (IIImaj7). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of Cmaj7?

root position is C – E – G – B, first inversion is E – G – B – C, second inversion is G – B – C – E and third inversion is B – C – E – G. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.