How to Play Cmaj7 Chord on Guitar
In today's lesson, we'll go over 5 distinct ways to play the C major seventh chord, also written as Cmaj7 or CM7 for short.
The Cmaj7 chord is a major chord with a little extra sauce that helps give it a unique sound, and that special sauce is where the number 7 comes from.
In this article, we'll discover common positions, voicings, and recommend finger placements, each with its chord diagram and later, we'll also discuss chord theory, how it gets its name, and how to use it, etc.
Cmaj7 Guitar Chord Open Position
To play the Cmaj7 chord in an open position, you only need two fingers! Simply play a C chord and then lift up your first finger.
Place your:
- Ring finger on the fifth string, third fret
- Middle finger on the fourth string, second fret
- Strum from the fifth string down. You will play the G string, the B string, and the high e string as open strings.
Note: You could also strum the low e string as it is also an E note, but this will make the chord sound a bit muddy.
Cmaj7 played using Barre chords
The easiest way to play the Cmaj7 chord on guitar using a barre chord is as follows. Place your:
- First finger on fourth string, 10th fret
- Third finger on third string, 12th fret
- Bar across strings 1 - 3 and avoid strumming strings 5 & 6
This next voicing will sound the most full as it uses all the strings. To play, place your:
- Second finger on fourth string, 9th fret
- Third finger on third string, 9th fret
- Index finger on 6th string, 8th fret
- Pinky on fifth string, 10th fret
To bar across all the strings takes practice. Check to see if the notes are ringing out by playing each one at a time.
Cmaj7 Chord Barre Chord Shape 3
This next version of Cmaj7 is also very popular. To play, place your:
- Second finger on third string, 4th fret
- Third finger on 4th string, 5th fret
- Pinky finger on 2nd string, 5th fret
- First finger on 5th string, third fret
- Barre using your first finger
Cmaj7 Chord Barre Chord Shape 4
This last shape is just like the open shape but is played an octave up the guitar neck. Place your:
- Pinky on 5th string, 15th fret
- Ring finger on 4th string, 14th fret
- Barre with your index finger on strings 1 - 3
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Tips For Learning Cmaj7 Chord On Guitar
Tip #1
The #1 mistake players make in learning how to play new chords is that they don't memorize them. If you have to constantly look at where to place your fingers, your mind/body won't develop proper coordination. Focus on learning just a few chords at a given time.
Tip #2
To learn the Cmaj7 chord, play the chord very slowly so that all your fingers attack the strings simultaneously. Your chord changes will always be slow if you place your fingers on the fretboard one at a time.
Tip #3
Be sure your thumb is in the correct position. The #1 reason why players struggle with chords, have stiff fingers, think they have small hands, etc.. is due to a simple two-second fix... The thumb needs to be in the correct position. If it's on the outside of your index finger, your hand will not work properly.
Songs Using C Major Seventh Chord
Kansas - Dust In The Wind
Led Zepplin - Stairway To Heaven
Lita Ford - Close My Eyes Forever
C Major 7th Chord Theory
Now, let’s break down the theory of the Cmaj7 chord so you can better understand how to use it.
The C major seventh chord is built from the C major scale: C D E F G A B
To understand the chord formula, you need to understand "scale degrees," which is simply numbering the notes of a scale starting with the root note.
Often, music teachers reference piano note names due to the simplicity of the layout of a piano for scales, but I think the illustration below will do:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C D E F G A B
The Cmaj7 Chord Formula
In music theory, chord formula refers to which notes of a scale are used to make the chord. The C major chord uses three notes, the 1 3 5 of the scale. The Cmaj7 uses four notes using the 1 3 5 7 notes of the scale.
Referring back to the Cmaj7 chord in the open position, this is why we could play a C major chord and then simply lift up one finger to make the Cmaj7. Lifting up your first finger replaced one of the root notes with the B note which is the seventh.
C Major Seventh Chord vs C Dominant Seventh Chord
Both these seventh chords are major chords because they both use notes 1 3 5 as part of their formula. The 3rd degree of a scale is what determines if the chord is major or minor because when the 3rd degree of a scale is flattened, this makes minor chords. (more on this in future articles)
Where they differ is the major seventh uses the 7th degree, and the dominant seventh uses a flat seven. The notes of Cmaj7 would be C E G B, and C7 would be C E G Bb.
Cmaj7 Chord Inversions
The notes of a chord can be in any order so long as you have at least one of each of these notes. When the root note (in this case, the C note) is the lowest sounding note or bass note it is said to be in the root position.
When the root note is not the bass note it would be called an inversion and written as a slash chord. e.g. Cmaj7/G. All this means is play the Cmaj7 chord but have the G note as the bass note.
How To Use C Major Seventh Chord
Every guitar chord has a function. Think of it like a tool. A tool of sound. Some tools are used for very specific purposes, while others can be used for a few things. As a guitarist, your job is to understand your tools and be able to use them effectively.
A c major seventh chord can be used to make a chord progression have a slightly more unique sound or rich sound than just a typical progression that uses major chords and minor chords.
You can also use these guitar chords for voice leading to help the music flow a bit more naturally. For example, in the song Dust In The Wind by Kansas, the Cmaj7 is followed by an Asus2. The notes of Cmaj7 are C E G B, and for Asus2 they are A B E. This means there are 2 common tones (notes that are the same) between these chords which makes the movement almost seamless.
Chord Progressions Using Cmaj7 On Guitar
Instead of G- C- D try G- Cmaj7- D
Try C -Cmaj7- Cadd9 -Am- Asus- Am- G
What Keys Use Cmaj7 Chord?
Cmaj7 works in the key of:
Now you know a few ways to play the Cmaj7 chord and understand some Cmaj7 chord theory!
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