As the tonic (I)C major
Home. The loop leaves Cmaj7 and keeps coming back to it.
Cmaj7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Cmaj7 chord is a major seventh chord built on the root note C. Its notes are C, E, G and B.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major seventh chords are lush, open and slightly jazzy. Stacking a major third on top of a major triad gives them a dreamy colour often heard in bossa nova, soul and modern R&B.
- Notes
- C · E · G · B
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11
- Note
- C
- Quality
- Major 7
- Symbol
- Cmaj7
Cmaj7 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play Cmaj7 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 every note of Cmaj7 is a white key. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C1
- E3
- G5
- B7
Cmaj7 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Cmaj7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 3. Strings 3, 2 and 1 ring open. Don't play string 6.
C · E · G · B
Try Cmaj7 on the virtual piano
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Cmaj7 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | B |
How to use the Cmaj7 chord
The Cmaj7 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major 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.
Major seventh chords colour jazz standards, bossa nova, soul and modern pop. They most often serve as Imaj7 or IVmaj7 in a major key to add warmth without changing the function.
In major keys Cmaj7 is the Imaj7 in C major and the IVmaj7 in G major; in minor keys it's the IIImaj7 in A minor and the VImaj7 in E minor.
How Cmaj7 differs from similar chords
Cmaj7 is not C7: its seventh sits a half step below the root rather than a whole step, so it floats instead of pulling. Next to C6, which adds the sixth instead, Cmaj7 sounds lusher and more modern. The major seventh is the only note that separates it from a plain C triad.
Songs that use the Cmaj7 chord
These well-known tracks all play the Cmaj7 chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.
- 1MistyErroll Garner
- 2The Girl from IpanemaJoao Gilberto
- 3Fly Me to the MoonFrank Sinatra
- 4Moonlight in VermontStandard
- 5My Funny ValentineRichard Rodgers
Where Cmaj7 is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
As the IVG major
- Imaj7Gmaj7
- IVmaj7Cmaj7
- V7D7
- Imaj7Gmaj7
Cmaj7 is the step away from home that makes the return feel like a return.
As the goal of a ii-V-IC major
The oldest cadence there is: two chords of preparation, then Cmaj7.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the Cmaj7 chord?
- The Cmaj7 chord contains C, E, G and B.
- Is the Cmaj7 chord major or minor?
- Cmaj7 is a major seventh chord. Major seventh chords are lush, open and slightly jazzy. Stacking a major third on top of a major triad gives them a dreamy colour often heard in bossa nova, soul and modern R&B.
- What key is the Cmaj7 chord in?
- In major keys Cmaj7 is the Imaj7 in C major and the IVmaj7 in G major; in minor keys it's the IIImaj7 in A minor and the VImaj7 in E minor.
- How do you play Cmaj7 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 every note of Cmaj7 is a white key.
- How do you play Cmaj7 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 3. Strings 3, 2 and 1 ring open. Don't play string 6.
- What chords work well with Cmaj7?
- Cmaj7 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.