C Sharp Major 7th Chord
The c sharp major 7th chord (C♯maj7) is C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯. Play those 4 notes together and you have it.
It is the I7 chord of D Flat Major and turns up in 3 other keys.
The keyboards below are live. Press the notes and the page grades what you played, so you can check the shape without guessing — root position first, then both inversions, which is where chord playing stops sounding like exercises and starts sounding like music.
How To Play C Sharp Major 7th On Piano
Play the C Sharp Major 7th Chord (Root Position)
Tap the highlighted keys — any order.
Right hand: fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 on C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯, thumb on the C♯.
Left hand: the same notes, fingers 5, 3, 2 and 1, little finger on the C♯.
Press all the notes at once rather than rolling them, and listen for whether they arrive together. A chord that is nearly simultaneous is the single most common thing that makes playing sound robotic, and it is fixable in a week.
Try it on the keyboard above. Any octave counts.
C Sharp Major 7th First Inversion
Play the C Sharp Major 7th Chord (First Inversion)
Tap the highlighted keys — any order.
E♯, G♯, B♯, C♯ — the same chord with the third at the bottom.
An inversion is not a new chord. It is the same notes rearranged so your hand does not have to jump. When two chords in a row share notes, playing the second one inverted lets your fingers stay put and the music stops lurching.
Play it on the keyboard above, then play root position again and listen to the difference. The chord is the same; the bottom note changes what it leans towards.
C Sharp Major 7th Second Inversion
Play the C Sharp Major 7th Chord (Second Inversion)
Tap the highlighted keys — any order.
G♯, B♯, C♯, E♯ — the same chord with the fifth at the bottom.
An inversion is not a new chord. It is the same notes rearranged so your hand does not have to jump. When two chords in a row share notes, playing the second one inverted lets your fingers stay put and the music stops lurching.
Play it on the keyboard above, then play root position again and listen to the difference. The chord is the same; the bottom note changes what it leans towards.
How C Sharp Major 7th Is Built
Count in semitones from the root, C♯:
| Note | Semitones above the root | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| C♯ | 0 | root |
| E♯ | 4 | major 3rd |
| G♯ | 7 | perfect 5th |
| B♯ | 11 | major 7th |
That pattern is the chord. Move the whole shape up two semitones and you have the same chord on a different root — which is why learning one quality well is worth more than memorising twelve chords separately.
A semitone is the distance to the very next key, black or white. Count them on the keyboard above if the numbers do not mean much yet; they will after a few chords.
Where C Sharp Major 7th Turns Up
C♯maj7 is a chord of 4 keys. Knowing which is how you work out what to play next.
| Key | Role |
|---|---|
| D Flat Major | I7 |
| A Flat Major | IV7 |
| B Flat Minor | III7 |
| F Minor | VI7 |
If a piece is in D Flat Major and this chord appears, it is doing the job of the I7. The other keys give you the same chord with a different meaning, and that is the whole reason a song can pivot from one key to another on a single chord.
Practising C Sharp Major 7th
Five minutes, in this order:
- Right hand, root position. C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯, played together, four times.
- Both inversions, in order, up and back down. Say which one you are on.
- Left hand alone, the same three steps. It is always the weaker hand and always the one people skip.
- Hands together, left hand playing just the root while the right hand plays the chord.
- Find it in a piece. A chord you have only met in isolation does not stay learned.
Do not chase speed here. A chord you can place accurately without looking is worth more than four you can nearly place quickly.
Related Topics...
C Sharp Major Scale (Piano): The C Sharp Major Scale’s seven sharps give the scale a dazzling clarity, making it one of the brightest and most intense major keys. Practice C# free now.
Key of A Flat Major: The key of A Flat Major: four flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭), the notes A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G, and all seven chords — A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm, Gdim.
Key of D Flat Major: The key of D Flat Major: five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭), the notes D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C, and all seven chords — D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m, Cdim.
Piano Chords: Every piano chord, spelled out and playable: 12 roots across major, minor, diminished, augmented, 7th, maj7, m7, sus2, sus4 and add9.
Readers Also Look For
C Major 7th Chord: C Major 7th (Cmaj7) is C, E, G, B. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.
C Sharp Dominant 7th Chord: C Sharp Dominant 7th (C♯7) is C♯, E♯, G♯, B. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.
C Sharp Major Chord: C Sharp Major (C♯) is C♯, E♯, G♯. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.
More in This Section
C Sharp Minor Chord: C Sharp Minor (C♯m) is C♯, E, G♯. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.
C Sharp Minor 7th Chord: C Sharp Minor 7th (C♯m7) is C♯, E, G♯, B. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.