What Are The Seventh Chords of C Major

Understanding 7th Chords in The C Major Scale

The diatonic seventh chords of C Major can be found by stacking each degree of the scale in 3rds.

Here are the notes in the C Major Scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B

Stacking each note in 3rds, we get these chords:

C Major- D Minor – E Minor – F Major – G Major – A Minor – B Diminished

These chords can be communicated using their roman numerals: I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-vii

You can take this formula and apply it to any major scale.

These chords sound “full”, and are commonly used as alternatives to diatonic triads.

All of these shapes have their root note on the E string, and they skip over the A string.

As a whole, the 7th chords in the C major scale are:

CMaj7-D Min7-EMin7-FMaj7-G7-AMin7-BMin7b5

There are lots of ways to play these chords, and the seven chord shapes shown in this lesson are a great place to start.

You can put these into practice by reading jazz standard chord charts and learning songs that use them.