As the VF major
- ii7Gm7
- V7♯5C7♯5
- Imaj7Fmaj7
C7♯5 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
C7♯5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C7♯5 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note C. Its notes are C, E, G♯ and B♭.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant seventh sharp five chords sound restless and a little exotic. Raising the fifth of a dominant seventh trades its usual bluesy pull for a sharper, whole-tone edge, a colour jazz and gospel players reach for right before a cadence.
- Notes
- C · E · G♯ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8 · 10
- Note
- C
- Quality
- Dominant 7♯5
- Symbol
- C7♯5
C7♯5 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C7♯5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C, index finger on E, middle finger on G♯ and little finger on B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♯ and B♭ are black keys and C and E are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C1
- E3
- G♯♯5
- B♭♭7
C7♯5 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C7♯5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 3: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open. Don't play string 6.
C · E · G♯ · B♭
Play C7♯5 on the online piano
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C7♯5 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | G♯(G#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | B♭(Bb) |
How to use the C7♯5 chord
The C7♯5 chord is built from a root, a major third, an augmented fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root C and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C, E, G♯ and B♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant seventh sharp five chords turn up in jazz and gospel as an altered V7 resolving to the tonic, especially where the melody climbs through the raised fifth. They are a common sound in turnarounds right before landing back on I.
How C7♯5 differs from similar chords
C7♯5 is C7 with the fifth raised by a half step, and that raised fifth is the only difference. Seen from the other side, it is C+ with a minor seventh added. All four of its notes belong to the whole-tone scale, which gives it a floating, restless pull.
Where C7♯5 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C7♯5 chord?
- The C7♯5 chord contains C, E, G♯ and B♭ (C, E, G# and Bb in plain text).
- Is the C7♯5 chord major or minor?
- C7♯5 is a altered dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh sharp five chords sound restless and a little exotic. Raising the fifth of a dominant seventh trades its usual bluesy pull for a sharper, whole-tone edge, a colour jazz and gospel players reach for right before a cadence.
- How do you play C7♯5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C, E, G♯ and B♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard G♯ and B♭ are black keys and C and E are white.
- How do you play C7♯5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 3: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What chords work well with C7♯5?
- C7♯5 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.