Cmaj7 C major seventh chord
- Notes
- C E G B
- Formula
- 1 3 5 7
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 11 above the root
- Other symbols
- CM7, CΔ7
C to E is a major third (4 semitones), E to G is a minor third (3 semitones), G to B is a major third (4 semitones). A major triad plus the note a half step below the root (B). It has no tritone, so it sounds settled and soft rather than restless like C7.
Cmaj7 on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, E4, G4, B4. Middle C is C4.
Cmaj7 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has C as its lowest note.
x 3 2 0 0 0 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 E3 G3 B3 E4
x 3 5 4 5 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G3 B3 E4 G4
8 x 9 9 8 x (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 B3 E4 G4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play major seventh chords on other roots.
Cmaj7 on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
0002 (G C E A)
Sounds G4 C4 E4 B4
4433 (G C E A)
Sounds B4 E4 G4 C5
Lowest note E4, so the chord finder reads it as Cmaj7/E (first inversion).
Inversions of Cmaj7
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | C E G B | Cmaj7 | |
| 1st inversion | E G B C | Cmaj7/E | |
| 2nd inversion | G B C E | Cmaj7/G | |
| 3rd inversion | B C E G | C/B (also read as Cmaj7/B) |