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Piano chord · Dominant 7th

C dominant 7th piano chord (C7)

C dominant 7th is C – E – G – B♭. Right hand fingers 1-2-3-5.

Root position
C7C dominant 7th

C – E – G – B♭

Built from the root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th. Keys show right-hand fingers: 1 = thumb.

C dominant 7th in root position on the treble staff
C dominant 7th in root position on the treble staff
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RelatedF majorF – A – CScaleF major scaleC7 is the V7 of F major: it leads home to F.PracticePractice C7Random prompts until the shape is automaticToolChord identifierPress keys and find out what you playedOn guitarC7 guitar chordThe same chord as a guitar shapeAll chordsAll 43 piano chordsThe full major, minor and 7th chartPrintPiano chord chart PDFAll 43 chords, free

C, E, G and B♭, played together. Root position is lit on the keyboard above — press Play chord to hear it, or switch to an inversion.

Notes in C7: C, E, G and B♭

NoteInterval from the rootKey around middle C
CRootC4 · white key
EMajor 3rdE4 · white key
GPerfect 5thG4 · white key
B♭Minor 7thA♯4 · black key
  • Chord symbol: C7 — C dominant 7th
  • Formula: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th (0 · 4 · 7 · 10 half steps (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 C7 works

C7 is C major with a B♭ stacked on top, and that flattened seventh is what makes the chord lean forwards — usually onto F. It is also the standard blues chord on C, where every chord in the progression gets the same treatment.

C7 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.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

  • 1st inversion — E in the bass

    E–G–B♭–C — the same four notes, reordered so E is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

  • 2nd inversion — G in the bass

    G–B♭–C–E — the same four notes, reordered so G is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

  • 3rd inversion — B♭ in the bass

    B♭–C–E–G — the same four notes, reordered so B♭ is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

PositionNotes, lowest firstRight handLeft hand
Root positionC – E – G – B♭1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1
1st inversionE – G – B♭ – C1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1
2nd inversionG – B♭ – C – E1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1
3rd inversionB♭ – C – E – G1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1

1 = thumb, 5 = little finger. Notes listed from the lowest key up.

Common mistakes on C7

  • Playing B natural, which makes Cmaj7 — a far softer, jazzier chord.
  • Fingering it 1-2-3-4 instead of 1-2-3-5, which leaves nothing to reach the seventh with.
  • Losing the fifth by accident as the hand stretches. If a note has to go, leave out G on purpose.

C dominant 7th FAQ

What notes are in C dominant 7th?

C, E, G and B♭: the root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th.

What fingers do I use for C dominant 7th?

In root position, right hand 1-2-3-5 and left hand 5-3-2-1 (1 = thumb, 5 = little finger). 1st inversion: right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1; 2nd inversion: right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1; 3rd inversion: right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.

What are the inversions of C dominant 7th?

1st inversion: E–G–B♭–C. 2nd inversion: G–B♭–C–E. 3rd inversion: B♭–C–E–G. Same notes, a different one at the bottom.

C dominant 7th piano chord diagram
C7 piano chord chart: C, E, G, B♭ highlighted and labeled on the keyboard.

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.