C# or D♭ Dominant 7th
4th FretA-shape barre chord rooted on C# or D♭ at fret 4 — the standard C#7 voicing. Barre fret 4 with the index; ring on D fret 6, pinky on B fret 6. Mute the low E.
C# or D♭ Dominant 7th
9th FretE-shape barre chord with the root on the low E string at fret 9. Full six-string voicing — index barres all strings at fret 9, ring on A fret 11, middle on G fret 10.
C# or D♭ Dominant 7th
7th FretDrop 2 voicing on the top four strings — root (C#) on D fret 11, 3rd (F) on G fret 10, 5th (G#) on B fret 9, ♭7th (B) on high e fret 7. A go-to jazz comping shape.
C# or D♭ Dominant 7th
1st PositionCompact shell voicing on the inner four strings — 3rd (F) on D fret 3, ♭7th (B) on G fret 4, root (C#) on B fret 2, 3rd (F) on high e fret 1. No barre — captures the tritone tension of C#7 in a small footprint.
C# or D♭ Dominant 7th
2nd FretC7-shape moveable voicing on the middle four strings — root (C#) on A fret 4, 3rd (F) on D fret 3, ♭7th (B) on G fret 4, root (C#) on B fret 2. Mute the low E and high e strings.
Tips for Playing the C#7 Chord
Start with the A-shape barre
The x-4-6-4-6-4 shape at fret 4 is the standard C#7. It is fully moveable — slide it one fret down for C7 or two frets up for D#7.
Spell it as D♭7 in flat keys
In written music, this chord often appears as D♭7 (resolving to G♭ major). The chord shapes and sound are identical — only the name changes.
Mute the low E cleanly
Most C#7 voicings skip the low E. Let the side of your index finger lightly touch the low E to mute it as you strum.
Use the shell voicing for jazz
The x-x-3-4-2-1 shape captures the tritone (F and B) that defines C#7's tension. It is a great comping shape when you need a clean, minimal sound.
Drop 2 for jazz comping
The xx-11-10-9-7 shape stacks root, 3rd, 5th, and ♭7th in order across the top four strings. It is the classic jazz dom7 comping voicing.
Dominant cycle practice
C#7 → F#7 → B7 → E7 → A7 → D7 → G7 → C7 is the full cycle of dominants. Practising C#7 through the cycle is essential jazz vocabulary.
About the C#7 Chord on Guitar
The C#7 chord is built from four notes: C# (the root), F/E# (the major 3rd), G# (the perfect 5th), and B (the minor 7th). It is the C# major triad with an added flat 7th, creating the characteristic tritone tension between F and B that defines dominant 7th chords. Because none of the chord tones match open guitar strings, every C#7 voicing requires fretted notes — making this a key chord for developing barre and moveable-shape technique. C#7 most commonly functions as the V chord resolving to F# major (or its enharmonic equivalent D♭7 → G♭ major), and moves through the dominant cycle with striking effect. This page covers five voicings, from the standard A-shape barre at fret 4 to jazz Drop 2 and shell voicings. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound. C#7 is enharmonically identical to D♭7 — same pitch, same shapes, different name.
- 015 C#7 or D♭7 chord shapes from intermediate to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04A-shape barre, E-shape barre, Drop 2, shell voicing, and C7-shape moveable form
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the C# or D♭ Dominant 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every dominant 7th chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.