C#/D♭ Major 7th
4th FretA-shape barre chord rooted on C#/D♭ at fret 4 — the most common C#maj7 voicing. Mute the low E; barre fret 4 with the index, ring on D fret 6, middle on G fret 5, pinky on B fret 6.
C#/D♭ Major 7th
1st FretC-shape moveable maj7 voicing — the open Cmaj7 shape slid up one fret. Index partial barre across G, B, and high e at fret 1, middle on D fret 3, ring on A fret 4. Mute the low E. The C on the B string is the major 7th that gives the chord its dreamy colour.
C#/D♭ Major 7th
9th FretA compact 4-string maj7 voicing with the root on the low E string at fret 9. Index on low E fret 9 (root), middle on B fret 9 (5th), ring on D fret 10 (maj7), pinky on G fret 10 (3rd). Mute the A and high e strings. No barre required.
C#/D♭ Major 7th
11th FretD-shape voicing with the root on the D string at fret 11. A compact, focused voicing — strum the top four strings only.
C#/D♭ Major 7th
8th FretA Drop 2 voicing on the top four strings — root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th stacked in order. A go-to jazz comping shape with a clear, sparkling sound.
Tips for Playing the C#maj7 Chord
Start with the A-shape barre
The x-4-6-5-6-4 shape at fret 4 is the standard C#maj7. It is fully moveable — slide it up or down to play any major 7th chord.
Try the C-shape moveable voicing
The x-4-3-1-1-1 shape at the 1st fret is just the open Cmaj7 slid up one fret. Once you know Cmaj7, you already know C#maj7 — just shift everything up one.
Mute the low E cleanly
Most C#maj7 voicings skip the low E. Let the side of your index finger lightly touch the low E to mute it as you strum.
Slide between maj7 shapes
C#maj7 (fret 4 A-shape) and Bmaj7 (fret 2 A-shape) use the same shape — practise sliding the barre to build maj7 fluency around the neck.
Use it in bossa nova
C#maj7 → F#maj7 is a beautiful bossa nova / soft jazz move. Try fingerpicking the top four strings of the A-shape voicing.
Drop 2 for jazz comping
The xx-11-10-9-8 Drop 2 shape stacks the chord tones in order (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th). It is the classic jazz comping voicing — great for chord-melody and swing rhythm.
About the C#maj7 Chord on Guitar
The C#maj7 chord is built from four notes: C#, E# (F), G#, and B# (C). It is the C# major triad with an added major 7th, giving the chord a warm, dreamy, slightly bittersweet quality. Because none of the chord tones match an open guitar string, every C#maj7 voicing requires fretted notes — making this a key chord for developing your barre and moveable-shape technique. This page covers five voicings, from a compact low-position shape to advanced barre and Drop 2 jazz voicings. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound. C#maj7 is enharmonically identical to D♭maj7 — the same chord, spelled differently depending on the key.
- 015 C#maj7/D♭maj7 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, D-shape, Drop 2, and a compact low-position voicing
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the C#/D♭ Major 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every major chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth.