C♯7 chord on guitar

C♯7 is C♯, E♯, G♯ and B. The usual shape is x-4-6-4-6-4, a barre at the 4th fret. Tap Play, then slow it down.

x-4-6-4-6-4 · barre · medium

Notes: C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
First shape: x-4-6-4-6-4

How to play C♯7 on guitar

Shape 1, x-4-6-4-6-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

Index finger lies flat over the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string, just behind the 4th fret wire.
G♯: middle finger, 6th fret of the D string.
E♯: ring finger, 6th fret of the B string.
Strum from the A string down; the low E string stays silent.

Check the barre one string at a time. A dead string under the index finger usually means the finger has drifted away from the fret wire.

Other ways to play C♯7

x-4-3-1-0-x: open shape, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
9-11-9-10-9-9: barre shape at the 9th fret, medium. The root is on the low E string, so you can slide this shape to play any dominant seventh chord.

Playing C♯7 with a capo

A capo turns an open chord into C♯7: capo on the 1st fret and play the open C7 shape (x-3-2-3-1-0), capo on the 2nd fret and play the open B7 shape (x-2-1-2-0-2), capo on the 4th fret and play the open A7 shape (x-0-2-0-2-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open G7 shape (3-2-0-0-0-1). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Changing from C♯7 to the chords around it

Songs rarely hold C♯7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

F♯ (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): C♯7 (x-4-6-4-6-4) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 4th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the D string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. C♯ carries over from one chord to the other. F♯ on guitar
F♯maj7 (I in F♯ major): C♯7 (x-4-6-4-6-4) 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, your middle finger lands on the D string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the G string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the A string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for C♯ and E♯, which stay put while the rest moves. F♯maj7 on guitar
E♭m7 (vi in F♯ major): C♯7 (x-4-6-4-6-4) to E♭m7 (x-x-1-3-2-2): the index finger goes to the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the B string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the high E string, 2nd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the G string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share C♯, which is why the change sounds smooth. E♭m7 on guitar

C♯7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. Use C♯7 where you want motion: it leans toward the chord a fifth below and turns up on almost every blues. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Getting C♯7 under your fingers

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: C♯, G♯, B, E♯, G♯. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Next, alternate x-4-6-4-6-4 and x-4-3-1-0-x, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

D♭7 is another spelling of C♯7. Same shape, same sound.

Keys and progressions with C♯7

In D♭ major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on guitar is C♯7 (x-4-6-4-6-4), F♯7 (2-4-2-3-2-2) and A♭7 (4-6-4-5-4-4). About the 12-bar blues.

In F♯ major, ii–V–I on guitar is G♯m7 (4-6-4-4-4-4), C♯7 (x-4-6-4-6-4) and F♯maj7 (2-4-3-3-2-2). About the jazz cadence.

C♯7 on piano and ukulele

C♯7 on piano and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Related C♯ chords on guitar

Other dominant seventh chords

C♯7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in C♯7 on guitar?

C♯, E♯, G♯ and B. In the x-4-6-4-6-4 shape the strings play C♯ (A string), G♯ (D string), B (G string), E♯ (B string) and G♯ (high E string), so G♯ is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play C♯7 on guitar?

None of the C♯7 shapes is a true beginner shape, but x-4-3-1-0-x comes closest. It uses 3 fingers and no barre, with open strings, and a capo is worth trying when the song allows.

Is C♯7 a barre chord on guitar?

Usually, yes. x-4-6-4-6-4 has your index finger across the 4th fret. If that's hard, try x-4-3-1-0-x.

Which string does C♯7 start on?

In the x-4-6-4-6-4 shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 4th fret, which is C♯, the root. Skip the low E string.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes C♯, E♯, G♯ and B and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.