Piano chord · Dominant 7th
C dominant 7th piano chord (C7)
C, E, G and B♭, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
Notes in C7: 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♭ | Minor 7th | A♯4 · black key |
- Chord symbol: C7 — C dominant 7th
- Formula: R · 3 · 5 · b7 (0 · 4 · 7 · 10 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.
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 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.
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.