Piano chord
C major 7 chord
Cmaj7 is a major seventh chord: the root C, a major 3rd up to E, a perfect 5th up to G and a major 7th up to B.
- Symbol
- Cmaj7
- Notes
- C – E – G – B
Play it yourself
Tap C, E, G and B on the keys below, in any order.
- C
- E
- G
- B
Major seventh chords add a major seventh to a major triad. They sound soft and warm, and are everywhere in jazz, soul, bossa nova and lo-fi.
Inversions of Cmaj7
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
C – E – G – B
- 1st inversion · Cmaj7/E
E – G – B – C
- 2nd inversion · Cmaj7/G
G – B – C – E
- 3rd inversion · Cmaj7/B
B – C – E – G
Keys with Cmaj7
Cmaj7 occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.