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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

E6th

FretMuted

Finger—

A5th

Fret3

Finger3

D4th

Fret2

Finger2

G3rd

Fret3

Finger4

B2nd

Fret1

Finger1

e1st

FretOpen

FingerOpen

Notes: C – E – A# · Formula: 1 – 3 – ♭7

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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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