C♯maj7 chord
C♯maj7 is C♯, E♯, G♯ and B♯: 1–3–5–7 built on C♯. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
x-4-6-5-6-4 · barre · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- First shape
- x-4-6-5-6-4
C♯maj7 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · C♯–E♯–G♯–B♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
C♯maj7 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-1-1-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- First shape
- 1-1-1-3
Changing out of C♯maj7
Three changes cover most of what C♯maj7 does in songs.
- C♯maj7 → F♯maj7 (IV in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4) to F♯maj7 (2-4-3-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for C♯ and E♯, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: C♯maj7 to F♯maj7: play F♯maj7 in 2nd inversion (C♯–E♯–F♯–A♯) and C♯ and E♯ stay under the same fingers, while G♯ moves down to F♯ and B♯ down to A♯. F♯maj7 - C♯maj7 → A♭7 (V in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4) to A♭7 (4-6-4-5-4-4): your middle finger stays put, the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the ring finger slides across to the A string at the same fret. G♯ and B♯ carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: C♯maj7 to A♭7: play A♭7 in 2nd inversion (E♭–G♭–A♭–C) and A♭ and C stay under the same fingers, while C♯ moves up to E♭ and E♯ up to G♭. A♭7 - C♯maj7 → B♭m7 (vi in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4) to B♭m7 (x-1-3-1-2-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the B string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for C♯, E♯ and G♯, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: C♯maj7 to B♭m7: play B♭m7 in 1st inversion (D♭–F–A♭–B♭) and D♭, F and A♭ stay under the same fingers, while B♯ moves down to B♭. B♭m7
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, Cmaj7 shape; capo 4, Amaj7 shape; capo 6, Gmaj7 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Cmaj7 shape; capo 4, Amaj7 shape; capo 6, Gmaj7 shape.
How C♯maj7 is built
C♯maj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. The result is soft and a little dreamy, the sound of bossa nova, soul ballads and a lot of indie guitar.
Count keys (black and white) from C♯: 4 half steps up to E♯, 3 half steps up to G♯ then 4 half steps up to B♯. Written with flats or sharps the other way round it's D♭maj7; the sound is identical.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | root | 0 | |
| E♯ | major third | 4 | |
| G♯ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| B♯ | major seventh | 11 |
Keys and progressions with C♯maj7
C♯maj7 belongs to 4 keys: I7 in D♭ major, IV7 in A♭ major, III7 in B♭ minor and VI7 in F minor.
E♭m7 – A♭7 – D♭maj7: that's ii–V–I in the key of D♭ major. the jazz cadence
Chords close to C♯maj7
- C♯maj7 is C♯ plus B♯. C♯
- C♯maj7 and C♯7 differ by one note: B♯ in C♯maj7, B in C♯7. They share C♯, E♯ and G♯. C♯7
Chords that share most of their notes with C♯maj7: C♯, Fm, C♯7, C♯add9, C♯6, Dm7♭5.
Every C♯ chord
C♯maj7 chord: questions
What notes are in the C♯maj7 chord?
C♯, E♯, G♯ and B♯. C♯maj7 is built 1–3–5–7 from C♯: E♯ is the major third, G♯ is the perfect fifth and B♯ is the major seventh.
How do you play C♯maj7 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-4-6-5-6-4 (barre). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play C♯maj7 on piano?
Play C♯, E♯, G♯ and B♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play C♯maj7 on ukulele?
1-1-1-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is C♯maj7 in?
C♯maj7 belongs to 4 keys: I7 in D♭ major, IV7 in A♭ major, III7 in B♭ minor and VI7 in F minor.
What's the difference between C♯maj7 and C♯?
C♯maj7 is C♯ plus B♯.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes C♯, E♯, G♯ and B♯ and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.