C♯maj7 guitar chord

The shape

Tap the diagram to hear C♯maj7 strummed. C♯maj7 is played as a barre chord around fret 4: lay a finger across the strings at that fret and build the shape on top. Movable, so the same grip works up and down the neck.

The notes in C♯maj7

A major seventh chord is spelled from its root up: C♯ (R), E♯ (3), G♯ (5), B♯ (7). Those are the only notes in C♯maj7 — play them in any order, in any octave, and it's still C♯maj7.

What a major seventh chord is

In plain terms, a major 7th stacks a major seventh on a major chord (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th) — the major sound with a soft, dreamy sheen.

How it's used: It's the I and IV of a major key dressed up. Where a plain major is a statement, a major 7 is a sigh.

The sound: Lush, warm, jazzy, romantic — 'sophisticated major'. Where you'll hear it: Jazz, soul, bossa nova, neo-soul, and any ballad reaching for a softer landing.

Hear C♯maj7 in a progression

A lush I–IV vamp — let each chord ring and hear the sheen. Press play, and drag the Key control to move it anywhere.

Keys that use C♯maj7

C♯maj7 appears naturally in these keys — click any to see all seven of its chords and how C♯maj7 fits in:

Other C♯ chords

major seventh chords on other roots

Chords and their spellings are shared facts of music theory. Every diagram and sound here is generated by ThunderFret's own engine — no tabs, lyrics or recordings are reproduced.