C7 piano chord

Build C dominant seventh

Start with C, then find the third, fifth and seventh. C7 contains C, E, G and B-flat. Its formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7, measured against a major scale on the same root. A seventh chord has four different notes, not seven.

Keep similar symbols separate

C7 contains a major third E and a minor seventh B-flat. Cmaj7 raises B-flat to B; Cm7 lowers E to E-flat. Say which member changes before moving your hand.

Try a controlled listening comparison

Play just E and B-flat, then move E up to F and B-flat down to A. These two semitone movements form the core of a familiar C7 → F resolution. Add C below E–B-flat if a full four-note stretch is uncomfortable.

Use the chord in an original practice move

C7 names a chord quality, not the key of the passage. In F major it is the dominant seventh (V7); the dominant seventh of C major is G7. Practise C–E–G–B-flat → C–F–A: C remains, E rises to F and B-flat falls to A while G is omitted at the arrival.

Sound the notes separately before playing them together. Split a wide shape between two hands or choose a closer position; the reference does not require a fixed fingering. Stop if a stretch is uncomfortable. Playback is synthesized and begins only when you press Play.

Check your result

1. Say the four note names before pressing the keys.
2. Identify the lowest note and match it to the table.
3. Listen once together, then one note at a time. An inversion should keep the same four pitch classes.

Compare Cmaj7 and its B natural · Explore every root and seventh quality

Chord terminology checked against Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom: seventh chords. Diagrams and practice sequences are original.