What C♯m7 is built from
Counting up in semitones from C♯:
| Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|
| C♯ | root | 0 |
| E | minor third | 3 |
| 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 minor seventh formula 0 – 3 – 7 – 10 means.
How to play C♯m7
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 4, 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 5 | E |
| top E | fret 4 | G♯ |
Ukulele, string by string
| Ukulele string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| G | fret 4 | B |
| C | fret 4 | E |
| E | fret 4 | G♯ |
| A | fret 4 | C♯ |
C♯m7 on the stave
The same four notes written on a treble stave, spelled the way a minor 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♯m7 belongs to
| Key | Relative minor | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| E major | C♯ minor | vi7 |
| A major | F♯ minor | iii7 |
| B major | G♯ minor | ii7 |
Each row is a key whose scale contains every note of C♯m7. A major key and its relative minor use the same seven notes, so the chord belongs to both.
Chords that sit next to C♯m7
The seven triads built on the scale of E major. These are the chords C♯m7 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
Upload a track and the studio marks its chords, key and tempo against the beat, with these same shapes and the stave underneath.
Open the studioTen uploads a month, free, no card. New accounts get seven days of everything in Pro.