C♯maj7 chord on guitar

C♯maj7 is C♯, E♯, G♯ and B♯. The usual shape is x-4-6-5-6-4, a barre at the 4th fret. Tap Play, then slow it down.

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

How to play C♯maj7 on guitar

Shape 1, x-4-6-5-6-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

Barre the 4th fret with your index finger, covering the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string.
Put your middle finger on the G string at the 5th fret, which is B♯.
Put your ring finger on the D string at the 6th fret, which is G♯.
Put your pinky finger on the B string at the 6th fret, which is E♯.
Skip the low E string and begin the strum from the A string.

Keep the barre just behind the fret wire, not in the middle of the fret. Your thumb goes behind the neck, roughly opposite your middle finger.
The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.

Other ways to play C♯maj7

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

Playing C♯maj7 with a capo

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Cmaj7 shape (x-3-2-0-0-0), capo on the 4th fret and play the open Amaj7 shape (x-0-2-1-2-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Gmaj7 shape (3-2-0-0-0-2). The chord sounds as C♯maj7 because the capo raises every string by a half step.

C♯maj7 chord changes

The chords C♯maj7 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

F♯maj7 (IV in D♭ major): 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. F♯maj7 on guitar
A♭7 (V in D♭ major): 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. A♭7 on guitar
B♭m7 (vi in D♭ major): 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. B♭m7 on guitar

C♯maj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. C♯maj7 works as a relaxed home chord; swap it in for plain C♯ at the end of a phrase. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Practice C♯maj7 in two minutes

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-4-6-5-6-4 and x-4-3-1-1-x, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Written D♭maj7, it's the same chord with the same frets.

Keys and progressions with C♯maj7

In D♭ major, ii–V–I on guitar is E♭m7 (x-x-1-3-2-2), A♭7 (4-6-4-5-4-4) and C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4). About the jazz cadence.

C♯maj7 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: C♯maj7 on piano and C♯maj7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to C♯maj7

Other major seventh chords

C♯maj7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in C♯maj7 on guitar?

C♯, E♯, G♯ and B♯. In the x-4-6-5-6-4 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♯maj7 on guitar?

In standard tuning C♯maj7 can't use open strings. Begin with x-4-3-1-1-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is C♯maj7 a barre chord on guitar?

Usually, yes. x-4-6-5-6-4 has your index finger across the 4th fret. If that's hard, try x-4-3-1-1-x.

Which string does C♯maj7 start on?

In the x-4-6-5-6-4 shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 4th fret, which is C♯, the root. Skip the low E string.

Every shape above plays only C♯, E♯, G♯ and B♯, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.