C♯7 chord on piano
C♯7 is C♯, E♯, G♯ and B. You'll find C♯ on the black key between C and D. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
root position · C♯–E♯–G♯–B · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
How to play C♯7 on piano
Count keys (black and white) from C♯: 4 half steps up to E♯, 3 half steps up to G♯ then 3 half steps up to B. Press the 4 keys together and that's C♯7.
- Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E♯, 3 on G♯ and 5 on B.
- Left hand: 5 on C♯, 3 on E♯, 2 on G♯ and 1 on B.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, black and white keys.
C♯7 inversions
- root position: C♯–E♯–G♯–B. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: E♯–G♯–B–C♯ (E♯ in the bass). Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: G♯–B–C♯–E♯, G♯ lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: B–C♯–E♯–G♯, with B at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
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 to F♯: play F♯ in 2nd inversion (C♯–F♯–A♯) and C♯ stays under the same finger, while E♯ moves up to F♯ and B down to A♯. F♯ on piano
- F♯maj7 (I in F♯ major): C♯7 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 on piano
- E♭m7 (vi in F♯ major): C♯7 to E♭m7: play E♭m7 in 3rd inversion (D♭–E♭–G♭–B♭) and D♭ stays under the same finger, while E♯ moves down to E♭, G♯ down to G♭ and B down to B♭. E♭m7 on piano
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. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
A short C♯7 drill
Play C♯7 broken, one key at a time: C♯, E♯, G♯, B, G♯, E♯, C♯. Then press the keys together and check that all 4 sound at the same volume. Finish with the inversions in order: C♯–E♯–G♯–B; E♯–G♯–B–C♯; G♯–B–C♯–E♯; B–C♯–E♯–G♯.
The keys of C♯7
C♯7 is a dominant seventh chord, 1–3–5–♭7 from C♯. Root position, from the bottom: how C♯7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E♯ | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| G♯ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| B | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Written D♭7, it's the same chord with the same keys.
Keys and progressions with C♯7
In D♭ major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on piano is C♯7 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B), F♯7 (F♯–A♯–C♯–E) and A♭7 (A♭–C–E♭–G♭). About the 12-bar blues.
In F♯ major, ii–V–I on piano is G♯m7 (G♯–B–D♯–F♯), C♯7 (C♯–E♯–G♯–B) and F♯maj7 (F♯–A♯–C♯–E♯). About the jazz cadence.
C♯7 on guitar and ukulele
C♯7 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other dominant seventh chords
C♯7 on piano: questions
What notes are in C♯7 on piano?
C♯, E♯, G♯ and B: C♯ (black key), E♯ (white key), G♯ (black key) and B (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play C♯7 on piano?
Press C♯, E♯, G♯ and B together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E♯, 3 on G♯ and 5 on B.
What are the inversions of C♯7?
1st inversion (E♯–G♯–B–C♯), 2nd inversion (G♯–B–C♯–E♯) and 3rd inversion (B–C♯–E♯–G♯), after root position (C♯–E♯–G♯–B). Only the lowest note changes.
What does C♯7 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black and white keys.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside C♯7. Updated September 2026.