Piano chord · Major 7th
C major 7th piano chord (Cmaj7)
C, E, G and B, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
Notes in Cmaj7: C, E, G and B
| Note | Interval from the root | Key around middle C |
|---|---|---|
| C | Root | C4 · white key |
| E | Major 3rd | E4 · white key |
| G | Perfect 5th | G4 · white key |
| B | Major 7th | B4 · white key |
- Chord symbol: Cmaj7 — C major 7th
- Formula: R · 3 · 5 · 7 (0 · 4 · 7 · 11 semitones from the root)
- Right hand fingering: 1-2-3-5 — thumb, index, middle and little finger
- Left hand fingering: 5-3-2-1, little finger on the root
How Cmaj7 works
Cmaj7 is C major with B added on top — the note a half step below the root. All four notes are white keys, which makes it the place to learn the major-7th sound: soft, unresolved in a good way, and the I chord of countless jazz and soul tunes in C.
Cmaj7 inversions
An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then three inversions.
Root position
C–E–G–B — the root, C, is at the bottom.
1st inversion — E in the bass
E–G–B–C — the same four notes, reordered so E is lowest.
2nd inversion — G in the bass
G–B–C–E — the same four notes, reordered so G is lowest.
3rd inversion — B in the bass
B–C–E–G — the same four notes, reordered so B is lowest.
Common mistakes on Cmaj7
- Playing B♭ instead of B, which turns the chord into C7 — a dominant chord that wants to move, not rest.
- Holding the top B so loud that it rubs against the root. Voice the 7th a touch softer than the triad under it.
Piano chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.