Cmaj7

C1E3G5B7

Major triad with a major seventh: a half step below the root, an octave up.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

x002

open · no 5

Fig. 3

5002

easy · no 5

Fig. 4

5402

easy · no 5

Fig. 5

5432

moderate

Fig. 6

5777

moderate

What is true of it

Cmaj7 is C, E, G and B — 1, 3, 5 and 7 counted from C.

On an instrument that cannot reach all 4, the 5 goes first, in that order.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is x002: one finger, held at the 2nd fret.

1 of them use open strings, which is what makes a shape quiet to change to.

It leaves out the 5. 4 strings cannot carry 4 notes, and the 5 is the one this chord can lose without changing what it is.

1 string stays silent.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are C, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

Cmaj7/E

9b8a

second inversion

Cmaj7/G

0002

third inversion

Cmaj7/B

400x

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

C in other shapes

C7dominant seventh Cm7minor seventh Cm(maj7)minor major seventh Cmajor Cmminor Cdimdiminished

C♯maj7 D♭maj7 Dmaj7 D♯maj7 E♭maj7 Emaj7 Fmaj7 F♯maj7 all 374