C Dominant 7th Guitar Chord
All positions and voicings on the fretboard
No playable voicings found for this chord. Try a different chord type or root note.
C Dominant 7th filtered by fret:
C Dominant 7th — chord details
The C Dominant 7th chord is made up of the following notes: C, E, G, Bb.
Intervals: 1P, 3M, 5P, 7m.
The diagrams above show every voicing and chord variation for C Dominant 7th on guitar. Use the fret filter to narrow down voicings within a specific fret range — ideal for finding close-proximity chords when composing or arranging.
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.