C♯m7 chord on piano
C♯m7 is C♯, E, G♯ and B. You'll find C♯ on the black key between C and D. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
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♯m7 on piano
Count keys (black and white) from C♯: 3 half steps up to E, 4 half steps up to G♯ then 3 half steps up to B. Press the 4 keys together and that's C♯m7.
- 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, the same pattern as F♯m7, so your hand shape carries over.
C♯m7 inversions
- root position: C♯–E–G♯–B. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: E–G♯–B–C♯, E lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: G♯–B–C♯–E (G♯ in the bass). Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: B–C♯–E–G♯, with B at the bottom. Fingers 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♯m7 to the chords around it
These are the changes you'll meet most often with C♯m7, using the first shape of each chord.
- F♯7 (V in B major): C♯m7 to F♯7: play F♯7 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♯7 on piano
- Emaj7 (IV in B major): C♯m7 to Emaj7: play Emaj7 in 3rd inversion (D♯–E–G♯–B) and E, G♯ and B stay under the same fingers, while C♯ moves up to D♯. Emaj7 on piano
- Bmaj7 (I in B major): C♯m7 to Bmaj7: play Bmaj7 in 1st inversion (D♯–F♯–A♯–B) and B stays under the same finger, while C♯ moves up to D♯, E up to F♯ and G♯ up to A♯. Bmaj7 on piano
C♯m7 is a minor seventh chord: a minor triad plus a minor seventh. C♯m7 is the easy-going minor, common as the ii chord right before a dominant seventh. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Practice C♯m7 in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, C♯ E G♯ B G♯ E C♯, then play it solid. Next, walk up through C♯–E–G♯–B → E–G♯–B–C♯ → G♯–B–C♯–E → B–C♯–E–G♯ without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of C♯m7
C♯m7 is a minor seventh chord, 1–♭3–5–♭7 from C♯. Root position, from the bottom: how C♯m7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| G♯ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| B | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
You may also see it as D♭m7; nothing changes on the piano.
Where C♯m7 shows up
In B major, ii–V–I on piano is C♯m7 (C♯–E–G♯–B), F♯7 (F♯–A♯–C♯–E) and Bmaj7 (B–D♯–F♯–A♯). About the jazz cadence.
C♯m7 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: C♯m7 on guitar and C♯m7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Related C♯ chords on piano
Other minor seventh chords
C♯m7 on piano: questions
What notes are in C♯m7 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♯m7 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♯m7?
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). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does C♯m7 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as F♯m7, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes C♯, E, G♯ and B and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.