C#7 Guitar Chord

C#7 is the C sharp dominant seventh chord, also written Db7. It has four notes: C♯, F, G♯ and B. There is no open shape, so the standard grip is a five string barre at the 4th fret, with a no barre alternative higher up the neck.

A five string barre at fret 4 in the A7 grip, ring and pinky two frets above. Movable: the root tracks the A string wherever you slide it.

How to play C#7, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the A to high E strings at fret 4
Ring finger: 6th fret, D string
Pinky finger: 6th fret, B string
Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E.

Fret 4 is a comfortable place to learn this barre: the strings give more easily than at fret 1. Once it works, the identical grip plays every dominant seventh with a root on the A string.

More ways to play C#7

There are 3 common C#7 shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

C#7 guitar chord diagram, easier, no barre, played x x 11 13 12 13 — Easier, no barre

C#7 guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 9, played 9 11 9 10 9 9 — Barre at fret 9

Songs that use the C#7 chord

If the shape chokes or buzzes

G string gets swallowed: The barre must sound the G string by itself while ring and pinky work either side of it. If either finger flattens out, the G dies. Arch both over it.
High E buzzes at the barre: The far end of the index is the weak end. Nudge the whole finger closer to the 4th fret wire and roll it a little toward its outer edge.
Low E rings when it should not: The chord starts on the A string. Touch the low E with the overhanging tip of the index, or begin the strum a string lower.

What makes it a C#7

C♯ · F · G♯ · B 1 3 5 ♭7

C#7 is a C sharp major triad plus a minor seventh (B). The third is shown here as F for simplicity; in strict spelling it is E♯, the same key on a piano. That third and the B pull against each other and settle onto an F# chord, which makes C#7 the V7 of F sharp major and F sharp minor. When a song in F# minor needs to build pressure before coming home, C#7 is the chord doing the building.

C# vs C#7

Both chords barre the A through high E strings at fret 4. C sharp major then needs the 6th fret covered on three strings at once, usually with a ring finger mini barre; C#7 covers only two of them, letting the seventh sound on the G string in between. That small gap makes C#7 the easier grip, and it is the one to reach for when the music is moving to F#.

C#7 chord questions

Are C#7 and Db7 the same chord?

Yes. Identical notes and fingerings. Songs in sharp keys write C#7, songs in flat keys write Db7.

Can I play C#7 without a barre?

Yes. The compact shape at frets 11 to 13 uses one finger per string on the middle four strings, no barre involved.

What does C#7 resolve to?

F sharp. C#7 is the dominant (V) chord of F# major and F# minor.

Is C#7 a beginner chord?

Not really. Every C#7 shape is fretted, so it usually arrives after your first barre chords are working. The no barre shape is the gentlest entry.

Why is the third of C#7 sometimes written E#?

Chord spelling follows the musical alphabet, and the third letter up from C is E, so theory books write E♯. It is the same pitch as F, which is how this page labels it.