Position 1 / 4

This chord has 4 voicings across the fretboard. Use the arrows to see each shape and fingering — and tap any dot on the diagram to hear that note.

Beginner

C7 Guitar Chord

The dominant seventh of F major. C7 adds a bluesy tension that naturally resolves to F, making it essential for blues and jazz.

Also known as

  • C 7
  • Cdom7
  • C dom7
  • C dominant 7th
  • C 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

The open C7 shape only requires moving one finger from the standard C major — drop your pinky onto the 3rd fret of the G string. This is a great chord to learn early because it introduces the dominant 7th sound with almost no extra effort.

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

eBGDAE 3 2 3 1 0 3 2 3
eBGDAE 0 1 3 2 3 0 1 3
eBGDAE 3 0 2 1 3 3 0 2
eBGDAE 3 0 1 0 2 0 1 0

See how C7 works with other chords — Progression Generator