12345 × 3241 EADGBe
Intermediate

C#7 Guitar Chord

A dominant seventh with sharp, energetic character. C#7 is perfect for blues in E major.

Also known as

  • Db7
  • C# 7
  • Db 7
  • C#dom7
  • Dbdom7
  • C# dom7
  • Db dom7
  • D-flat7
  • C-sharp7
  • D-flat 7
  • C-sharp 7
  • D-flatdom7
  • C-sharpdom7
  • D-flat dom7
  • C-sharp dom7
  • C# dominant 7th
  • Db dominant 7th
  • C# dominant seventh
  • Db dominant seventh
  • D-flat dominant 7th
  • C-sharp dominant 7th
  • D-flat dominant seventh
  • C-sharp dominant seventh

How to Play This Chord

Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the strings, from low E (left) to high E (right), and the horizontal lines are the frets. Numbers inside the dots indicate which finger to use: 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky). An X means don't play that string; an O means play it open. A bar spanning multiple strings means one finger presses across all of them at once — this is known as a barre chord.

Tips & Tricks

Play this as a barre at the 4th fret using the A7 shape, or at the 9th fret with the E7 shape. The 4th-fret voicing is more compact and easier to grab quickly during chord changes. This chord is essential for blues in the key of F#.

There are many ways to play this chord. Try these:

eBGDAE 4 3 4 2 1 4 3 4
eBGDAE 1 2 4 3 4 1 2 4
eBGDAE 4 1 3 2 4 4 1 3
eBGDAE 4 1 2 1 3 1 2 1

See how C#7 works with other chords — Progression Generator