C#m7 C# minor seventh chord
- Notes
- C# E G# B
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 above the root
- Also written
- Dbm7 (Db Fb Ab Cb)
- Other symbols
- C#min7, C#−7
C# to E is a minor third (3 semitones), E to G# is a major third (4 semitones), G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor triad plus a minor seventh (B). With E in the bass the same four notes are read as E6.
C#m7 on the piano
Root position from C#4: C#4, E4, G#4, B4. Middle C is C4.
C#m7 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 4 6 4 5 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds C#3 G#3 B3 E4 G#4
9 11 9 9 9 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds C#3 G#3 B3 E4 G#4 C#5
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 minor seventh chords on other roots.
C#m7 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.
1102 (G C E A)
Sounds G#4 C#4 E4 B4
4444 (G C E A)
Sounds B4 E4 G#4 C#5
Lowest note E4, so the chord finder reads it as E6.
Inversions of C#m7
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 | C#m7 | |
| 1st inversion | E G# B C# | E6 (also read as C#m7/E) | |
| 2nd inversion | G# B C# E | C#m7/G# | |
| 3rd inversion | B C# E G# | C#m7/B |
Where C#m7 fits
C#m7 is ii7 in B major, iii7 in A major, vi7 in E major. As ii7 it is the first chord of the ii–V–I that ends countless jazz and pop phrases: C#m7 → F#7 → Bmaj7.