The C Major 7 chord (also written as C Maj 7) contains the notes C, E, G and B. It is produced by taking the root, 3rd, 5th and 7th of the C Major scale. It is essentially a C Major chord, with the 7th note of the Major scale added.
The C Major 7 chord is a very popular chord. It is the first chord in the key of C Major, which is arguably the most used key in music theory, because it contains no sharps or flats.
The Major 7 chord in general is considered a kind of default chord, as it contains no altered notes of the Major scale (1, 3, 5, 7). It can also be used as a starting point, when figuring out other chords that have C as a root note. For example, the C minor 7 chord can be produced by lowering the 3rd and 7th of the C Major 7 chord.
10 Ways To Play The C Major 7 Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for C Major 7, here they are.
Some Quick C Major 7 Chord Theory
- The C Major 7 chord contains the notes C, E, G and B.
- The C Major 7 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5 and 7 of the C Major scale.
- The C Major 7 chord (just like all Major 7 chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): major 3rd, minor 3rd, major 3rd, semitone (which leads back to the root note).
- The C Major 7 chord is the first chord in the key of C and the fourth chord in the key of G.
- The C Major 7 chord works well with the Am7 chord (relative minor).
- The C Major scale and C Lydian mode can be used when soloing over the C Major 7 chord.
Further Reading
