C Dominant 7th Guitar Chord — Drop C
Guitar chord voicings in Drop C tuning (C-G-C-F-A-D)
C Dominant 7th Voicings in Drop C
C Dominant 7th filtered by fret:
C Dominant 7th in Drop C Tuning — Guide
The C Dominant 7th chord is made up of the following notes: C, E, G, Bb.
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 5P, 7m.
The C Dominant 7th chord in Drop C tuning (C-G-C-F-A-D) requires different fingerings than standard tuning.
The C dominant seventh chord adds a minor seventh to a major triad, creating a four-note structure with intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7m and notes C, E, G, Bb. This tension between the major third and the minor seventh gives dominant sevenths their restless, bluesy character — they want to resolve. They are the driving force behind blues progressions, jazz turnarounds, and classical cadences where harmonic motion demands forward momentum.
How to Play C Dominant 7th
On guitar, the most common voicing for C 7 is x-3-2-3-1-0 — open position with the flatted 7th creating a bluesy tension. This is one of the fundamental shapes every guitarist should memorize early on, as it appears in countless songs and serves as a building block for more complex voicings up the neck.
C Dominant 7th in Progressions
C dominant seventh most commonly functions as the V7 in F major or F minor, creating a strong pull toward resolution. It also serves as the I7 in C blues progressions and as a secondary dominant targeting other chords in a key.
Common Substitutions
C9, C13, or the tritone substitute F#7 all work as alternatives, keeping the dominant function intact.
Difficulty: On guitar, this chord has a comfortable open voicing — suitable for beginners and widely used in popular songs.