C#m7 Piano Chord

C sharp minor seventh is the C#m7 piano chord. It has four notes: C sharp, E, G sharp and B. The root and the fifth are black; the third and the seventh are white.

1C♯2E3G♯5BC4C5

C♯ at the bottom, then E 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#m7 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): E
  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.

This is the same alternating shape as F sharp minor seventh, moved along the keyboard. If one is comfortable the other needs no new learning.

Inversions of C#m7

The same 4 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are C#m7; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionE G♯ B C♯
C#m7 piano chord diagram, first inversion, E G♯ B C♯
Lighter than root position and less final. A flat 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♯ E
C#m7 piano chord diagram, second inversion, G♯ B C♯ E
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♯ E G♯
C#m7 piano chord diagram, third inversion, B C♯ E 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 chord sounds bright
The second note is E, a white key. Playing F instead would give C sharp 7.
The hand keeps shifting depth
Two black keys and two white ones alternating means the fingers sit at different depths. Park the hand in the middle and let the fingertips reach.
The top note is B sharp
It has to be B natural. B sharp is the key called C, and it would turn this into a major seventh chord.

What makes it a C#m7

C♯ · E · G♯ · B 1 ♭3 5 ♭7

C sharp minor seventh is a C sharp minor triad, C sharp E G sharp, with a B added: the flat seventh.

It is the ii chord of B and the vi of E. E is one of the most used keys in rock and pop, which is why this chord appears far more often than four sharps would suggest.

C#m7 vs C#m

C sharp minor seventh is C sharp minor with a B on top. The triad is the comfortable black, white, black shape; the seventh adds another white key above it.

The seventh is the smoother of the two, and in pop either will usually do where a chart asks for C sharp minor.

Questions about C#m7

Which notes are in a C#m7 chord on piano?

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

What fingers do you use for C#m7?

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

What is the difference between C#m7 and C#7?

The second note. C sharp minor seventh has E and sounds soft; C sharp 7 has F and drives toward F sharp.

Where is the C#m7 chord used?

As the ii chord in B and the vi in E. Guitar based rock and pop use it constantly.

Is C#m7 hard on piano?

No. The alternating black and white pattern is the only thing to get used to, and the span is comfortable.

Chords to learn next

Other C# chords