Cmaj7 guitar chord

How to play Cmaj7 on guitar

The most common way, the first shape above: your middle finger on the A string at the 3rd fret and your index finger on the D string at the 2nd fret. Let the G, B and high E strings ring open. Don’t play the low E string.

From the low E string x 3 2 0 0 0 (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in Cmaj7?

Cmaj7, C major seventh, is C, E, G and B: the root (C), the major third (E), the perfect fifth (G) and the major seventh (B). Its formula is 1 3 5 7.

Are Cmaj7 and C7 the same?

No. Cmaj7 has the major seventh, B, a half step below the root; C7 has the minor seventh, B♭. Cmaj7 sounds calm and open, the sound of jazz ballads and bossa nova; C7 sounds like it has somewhere to go.

Can I play C instead of Cmaj7?

Yes. Cmaj7 is C with B added, so C does the same job with a plainer sound.

Keys with Cmaj7

Cmaj7 is the Imaj7 chord in C major, the IVmaj7 chord in G major, the VImaj7 chord in E minor and the IIImaj7 chord in A minor.