C7 chord on piano

The C7 chord is C, E, G and B♭. Here it is on the keyboard, with the fingers to use, every inversion and how it fits into keys.

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dominant seventh chord

C, E, G and B♭

C7 chord on a piano keyboard: C, E, G and B♭, starting from middle C upwardCEGC5B♭
Root
C
Major third
E
Perfect fifth
G
Minor seventh
B♭

Formula

1 3 5 ♭7 (4, 7, 10 half steps above C)

Fingering in root position

C7 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesCEGB♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

C7 inversions

C7 has 3 inversions. Each one keeps the same notes and puts a different one at the bottom, so your hand can stay close to the chord before or after it.

C7

Root position

C7, root position, on the piano: C, E, G and B♭ from the bottom upCEGC5B♭
C7 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesCEGB♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

C7/E

First inversion

C7, first inversion, on the piano: E, G, B♭ and C from the bottom upC4EGCB♭
C7/E first inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭C
Right hand1245
Left hand5321

C7/G

Second inversion

C7, second inversion, on the piano: G, B♭, C and E from the bottom upC4GCEB♭
C7/G second inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesGB♭CE
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

C7/B♭

Third inversion

C7, third inversion, on the piano: B♭, C, E and G from the bottom upC4CEGB♭
C7/B♭ third inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesB♭CEG
Right hand1235
Left hand5421

Keys with C7

Roman numerals give a chord's place in a key: capitals for major chords, small letters for minor, ° for diminished. C7 appears as:

  • V7 in F major
  • V7 in F minor
  • VII7 in D minor

How C7 is built

C is the root, E the major third, G the perfect fifth and B♭ the minor seventh.

A dominant seventh is a major chord plus the minor seventh, 10 half steps above the root. C7 is the V7 chord of F major and pulls strongly toward it.

Every chord takes every other letter of the alphabet, so the letters of C7 are C, E, G, B. That is why it is spelled C, E, G and B♭.

Find C7 yourself

Without looking at the diagrams, find the chord on the keyboard, then each inversion. Saying the notes out loud as you tap them helps them stick.

Step 1 of 4

Tap the notes of C7, in any octave and any order.

CDEFGABCDEFGAB

Practice C7 in real music

MasterPiano gives you new music to read at your level and listens as you play, through a MIDI keyboard or your device's microphone, marking each note right or wrong.

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Questions

What notes are in the C7 chord?

C7 has four notes: C, E, G and B♭. C is the root, E the major third, G the perfect fifth and B♭ the minor seventh.

What fingers do you use for C7 on piano?

In root position, play C, E, G and B♭ with right hand fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 (thumb, index finger, middle finger and little finger) and left hand fingers 5, 3, 2 and 1. The fingers change a little in each inversion; every inversion on this page shows its own.

What are the inversions of C7?

C7 has 3 inversions, one for each note other than the root at the bottom. First inversion (C7/E): E, G, B♭ and C. Second inversion (C7/G): G, B♭, C and E. Third inversion (C7/B♭): B♭, C, E and G.

What key is C7 in?

C7 appears as V7 in F major, V7 in F minor and VII7 in D minor.

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