Skip to main content
Ukulalala

Playful

C Dominant 7th

C · E · G · Bb

Watch on YouTube
C7ooo1

Shape 1 · difficulty 1/10

CC#DEbEFF#GG#ABbB
MajorMinorDominant 7thMinor 7thMajor 7thDiminishedAugmentedSuspended 2ndSuspended 4th
learn more

About the C7 chord

C7 is a C dominant 7th chord built from C, E, G, Bb. Bluesy tension that wants to resolve. The engine of blues, jazz, and early rock.

Root

C

Quality

Dominant 7th

Chord tones

C E G Bb

Shapes

1 · beginner

Notes & intervals

Every dominant 7th chord stacks the same intervals on its root. In C7, that gives you:

C

root1

Home base. The root names the chord, and every other note is measured from it.

E

major third3

The major third is the smile in the chord: this note makes it sound happy.

G

perfect fifth5

The fifth adds weight and strength behind the root.

Bb

minor seventh♭7

The minor seventh adds a bluesy itch that wants to resolve.

Used in genres

Dominant 7th chords show up all over the progression catalog, most of all in these styles:

JazzClassicsLatin

Character & mood

PlayfulBluesy tension that wants to resolve. The engine of blues, jazz, and early rock.

Find another chord

Popular chords

ACGDFAmEmDm

Frequently asked questions

How do you play C7 on ukulele?

C7 is one of the first chords most players learn. The first shape is the easiest voicing: one fretted string and 3 open strings. Put your index finger on the 1st fret of the A string. Leave the G, C, and E strings open. Strum all four strings and check each one rings cleanly. Watch on YouTube

What notes are in a C7 chord?

C7 is C, E, G, Bb. Those notes make a dominant 7th chord. Play them in any order and you still get C7.

What makes C7 a dominant 7th chord?

Bluesy tension that wants to resolve. The engine of blues, jazz, and early rock. Chord quality is the interval pattern above the root. That pattern is what you hear as dominant 7th.

What songs use the C7 chord?

Songs that use C7 include Desafinado, What'd I Say, Shake Rattle and Roll, and The Girl from Ipanema.

Get the Ukulalala app

Keep strumming

Get occasional tips, new tools, and progression inspiration.