C dominant seventh
How to play C7 — Dominant seventh
C7 (Dominant seventh)C · E · G · B♭
Piano samples: Salamander Grand Piano (CC-BY 3.0)
C dominant seventh — notes and structure
The C7 chord is a major triad with a flat seventh — the bluesy, restless chord that wants to resolve, central to blues and jazz.
The C7 dominant seventh consists of the notes C, E, G, B♭. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the piano keyboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
C7 stacks a major third (E), a perfect fifth (G) and a minor seventh (B♭) above the root C.
To play C7, press the keys C, E, G, B♭ together — the root C is circled on the interactive keyboard above.
What key is C7 in?
Every note of C7 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- F major — the V chord
- D minor — the VII chord
Chords that go with C7
In F major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put C7 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the C dominant seventh chord on piano?
- The C7 chord is made of the notes C, E, G, B♭. It is a major triad with a flat seventh — the bluesy, restless chord that wants to resolve, central to blues and jazz.
- How do you play C dominant seventh on the piano?
- Press C, E, G, B♭ at the same time, with the root C as the lowest note. The interactive keyboard above lights up the exact keys.
- What is the dominant seventh chord formula?
- Its interval structure is R–3–5–7 above the root — the same shape transposed to any of the twelve keys.
- What key does C7 belong to?
- C7 fits F major (where it is the V chord), D minor (where it is the VII chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.