How to Play C7 on Piano

The C Dominant 7th chord sounds restless and bluesy. It stacks 4 notes: C – E – G – Bb.

A major triad plus a flattened seventh. The tritone between its third and seventh is what makes it lean so hard toward the chord a fourth above.

Notes in C7

NoteIntervalFinger
CC4Root1
EE4Major 3rd2
GG4Perfect 5th3
BbBb4Minor 7th5

How to Play

Right Hand

Place your thumb (finger 1) on C. Use finger 2 on E, finger 3 on G, and finger 5 on Bb.

Where it sits

One note of this chord (Bb) is on black keys, so play it a little further back on the keys than an all-white shape.

Press all 4 keys at the same time. Keep your wrist relaxed and your fingers curved. The blue dots on the piano below show exactly which keys to press — they turn green when you play the right note.

Other Dominant 7th Chords

Db7
Db – F – Ab – Cb
D7
D – F# – A – C
Eb7
Eb – G – Bb – Db
E7
E – G# – B – D
F7
F – A – C – Eb
F#7
F# – A# – C# – E
G7
G – B – D – F
Ab7
Ab – C – Eb – Gb
A7
A – C# – E – G
Bb7
Bb – D – F – Ab
B7
B – D# – F# – A

Other C Chords

C6
C – E – G – A
C9
C – E – G – Bb – D
C
C – E – G
Cm
C – Eb – G
Cmaj7
C – E – G – B
Cm7
C – Eb – G – Bb
Cdim
C – Eb – Gb
Caug
C – E – G#
Csus2
C – D – G
Csus4
C – F – G
Cdim7
C – Eb – Gb – Bbb
Cm6
C – Eb – G – A
Cadd9
C – E – G – D