What C♯7 is built from
Counting up in semitones from C♯:
| Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|
| C♯ | root | 0 |
| E♯ | major third | 4 |
| G♯ | perfect fifth | 7 |
| B | minor seventh | 10 |
Move all four of those the same distance and you get the same chord on another root — that is what the dominant seventh formula 0 – 4 – 7 – 10 means.
How to play C♯7
Leave the low E string out. Lay your first finger flat across fret 4 and let the other fingers take the notes above it. The shape runs from fret 4 to fret 6.
All four strings are played. Nothing is higher than fret 2, so it sits in first position.
Play C♯, E♯, G♯ and B together. That is two white keys and two black.
Numbers in the grids are frets. Where a number is printed beside a grid, that is the fret the top row stands for; otherwise the thick bar at the top is the nut. A circle above a string means play it open, a cross means leave it out.
Guitar, string by string
| Guitar string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| low E | not played | — |
| A | fret 4 | C♯ |
| D | fret 6 | G♯ |
| G | fret 4 | B |
| B | fret 6 | E♯ |
| top E | fret 4 | G♯ |
Ukulele, string by string
| Ukulele string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| G | fret 1 | G♯ |
| C | fret 1 | C♯ |
| E | fret 1 | E♯ |
| A | fret 2 | B |
C♯7 on the stave
The same four notes written on a treble stave, spelled the way a dominant seventh is spelled — one letter for every other step, with whichever accidental reaches the pitch. That is why it reads C♯, E♯, G♯ and B, and not the same sounds written some other way.
Which keys C♯7 belongs to
| Key | Relative minor | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| F♯ major | D♯ minor | V7 |
Each row is a key whose scale contains every note of C♯7. A major key and its relative minor use the same seven notes, so the chord belongs to both.
Chords that sit next to C♯7
The seven triads built on the scale of F♯ major. These are the chords C♯7 is most often played alongside, because they are made from the same seven notes. The small numeral is the degree each one stands on.
Other chords on C♯
Same root, different notes above it.
Chords straight off a recording
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