C#7 Piano Chord

C sharp 7 is the C sharp dominant seventh chord. It has four notes: C sharp, F, G sharp and B. The root and the fifth are black keys; the third and the seventh are white.

1C♯2F3G♯5BC4C5

C♯ at the bottom, then F and G♯ and B. Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1. The black keys are C♯ and G♯.

How to play C#7 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the C♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): C♯
  3. Index finger (2): F
  4. Middle finger (3): G♯
  5. Little finger (5): B
  6. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 2, 1 an octave lower, or just C♯ on its own as a bass note.

The fingers alternate between black and white keys here, which means the hand has to sit at a middle depth rather than all the way in or all the way forward.

Inversions of C#7

The same 4 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are C#7; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionF G♯ B C♯
C#7 piano chord diagram, first inversion, F G♯ B C♯
Lighter than root position and less final. A third in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionG♯ B C♯ F
C#7 piano chord diagram, second inversion, G♯ B C♯ F
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.
Third inversionB C♯ F G♯
C#7 piano chord diagram, third inversion, B C♯ F G♯
The most restless of the four. The seventh is the note that wants to move, and putting it underneath the whole chord makes that pull impossible to miss.

If it sounds wrong

The second note sounds wrong
It is F, a white key. Written strictly it would be E sharp, which is the same key, and every chord chart prints F.
The top note is B sharp
It has to be B natural. B sharp is the key everyone calls C, and using it would give C sharp maj7.
The hand keeps sliding
Alternating black and white keys is the least stable shape on the keyboard. Keep the fingers curved and the wrist quiet rather than moving in and out for each note.

What makes it a C#7

C♯ · F · G♯ · B 1 3 5 ♭7

C sharp 7 is a C sharp major triad, C sharp E sharp G sharp, with a B added: the flat seventh. E sharp is the same key as F, which is how chord charts print it.

It is the V7 of F sharp, so in that key it is the chord that leads home. It also appears in blues in F sharp, which guitarists reach through barre chords.

C#7 vs C#

C sharp 7 is C sharp major with a B on top. The added note gives the chord a pull toward F sharp that the plain triad does not have.

Both are uncommon as home chords. Most often they turn up inside another key or after a piece has modulated upward.

Questions about C#7

Which notes are in a C#7 chord on piano?

C sharp, F, G sharp and B. C sharp and G sharp are black keys; F and B are white.

Why does the chord show F rather than E sharp?

Strict notation spells the third of C sharp major as E sharp, which is the same key as F. Chord charts print F, and so does this page.

What fingers do you use for C#7?

Right hand: thumb on C sharp, index on F, middle on G sharp, little finger on B. Left hand: 5, 3, 2, 1.

Is C#7 the same as Db7?

The same keys and sound. Sharp spelling is more common on guitar charts, so C sharp 7 is used here.

Where is the C#7 chord used?

As the V7 of F sharp, and in blues in F sharp.

Chords to learn next

Other C# chords