Ways to play C7
Open position first, then up the neck. Tap a shape to put it on the fretboard above and hear it. The numbers are fingers (1 is your index), × means leave that string out, and ○ means let it ring open.
What's in C7
A dominant 7th is a major triad plus a flat 7th, the note a whole step below the root. C7 is C, E, G, B♭. The 3rd (E) and ♭7 (B♭) are a tritone apart, and that tension is what makes the chord want to move.
| Note | Formula | Interval from C |
|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Root |
| E | 3 | Major 3rd |
| G | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| B♭ | ♭7 | Minor 7th |
On its own it sounds unfinished, so in most music it is the V chord that leads home: C7 to F. Blues is the exception. There every chord can be a dominant 7th and nothing has to resolve.
Keys that use C7
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of C, E, G and B♭, and the chord's Roman numeral in each. Minor keys marked harmonic get the chord from the raised 7th of the harmonic minor scale.
| Key | C7 is the |
|---|---|
| F major | V7 |
| F minor (harmonic) | V7 |
| D minor | VII7 |
Progressions to try
V7–I in F major
What a dominant 7th is for: the ♭7 and 3rd pull hard toward the chord a fourth up.
Related chords
Other chords on C: