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C7 Chord Guitar

C major with a bluesy seventh that refuses to sit still.

Adds a flattened seventh to plain C major, creating forward pull.
A common substitute when a straight C would feel too settled.
At home in blues and early rock and roll progressions.
Leads naturally to F, echoing classic blues turnaround motion.

Root3rd7th

Not played

E6th string

FretMuted

Finger—

Root

ABass5th string

Fret3

Finger3 ring

3rd

D4th string

Fret2

Finger2 middle

7th

G3rd string

Fret3

Finger4 pinky

Root

B2nd string

Fret1

Finger1 index

3rd

e1st string

FretOpen

Finger—

NotesC – E – A#

Formula1 – 3 – ♭7

Voicingx32310

TonesC×2·E×2·A#×1

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Questions about C7

What notes are in a C7 chord?

A C7 chord contains the notes C, E, A#. It is built from the dominant 7th formula 1 - 3 - ♭7, with C as the root.

When should you use C7 instead of C major?

Use C7 when you want motion rather than rest. The flattened seventh creates tension that wants to resolve — most often to F — so C7 works best as a setup chord rather than a landing point.

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