C#maj7 Chord on Guitar
C#maj7 = C# – F – G# – C (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th)
C#maj7 sits at the ninth fret, roughly the halfway point of a standard twenty-two-fret neck, which puts it deep enough into the upper register that its bright, glassy tone comes partly from the shorter vibrating string length as much as from the chord's own harmonic content. Unlike the dominant chords clustered around this same fret, maj7 carries no forward pull at all — it's a chord built to sound settled rather than searching for somewhere else to go.
C#, F, G#, and C (the major seventh, reached at the twelfth semitone above the root) make up the chord — root, third, fifth, and major seventh. That major seventh is what separates the sound from a plain dominant chord's restlessness: instead of straining toward resolution, it creates a smooth, slightly dreamy dissonance that never really demands to move, the exact quality jazz and bossa nova writing lean on for a tonic chord that wants richness without tension.
Fingerings
Barre (9th fret)
How to Practice It
This shape needs the same barre-plus-one-fretted-note coordination the open-position maj7 voicings use lower on the neck, just transposed up into tighter fret spacing, so accuracy in landing the extra finger matters more here than the raw strength the barre itself demands. Because maj7 chords are meant to ring rather than snap shut, practicing a slow strum that lets every note sustain fully is a better use of time on this chord than the quick rhythmic attack more appropriate to the dominant chords sharing this fret.
Common Progressions
- C#maj7 – A#m7 – D#m7 – G#7 (Imaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7, cycling gently through a jazz turnaround)
- F#maj7 – C#maj7 (IV – I, drifting rather than snapping into the cadence)
- C#maj7 – F – A#m7 – F#maj7 (a lush, neo-soul-leaning progression)
- C#maj7 – G#/C – A#m7 – F#maj7 (I – V/3 – vi – IV, keeping the color smooth from start to finish)
FAQ
- Why doesn't C#maj7 pull toward resolution the way a dominant seventh does?
- Every note in it is a diatonic tone drawn straight from the major scale, with no flattened or altered pitch creating the kind of dissonance that demands release, which is exactly what gives maj7 chords their smooth, settled character.
- How is C#maj7 different from C#7?
- The seventh degree is major in one and flattened in the other, and that single difference completely changes the chord's role — maj7 sounds restful and complete, while the flat seventh in C#7 creates active dominant pull toward another chord.
- What genres reach for maj7 chords most?
- Jazz, bossa nova, and smoother strains of neo-soul and R&B all favor maj7 chords as home-base sounds, valuing their rich but unresolved color over the plainer brightness of an ordinary major triad.
- Is the ninth-fret barre the standard way to play C#maj7?
- It's one common movable option, but many players use a lower, partial open-string-adjacent voicing instead, especially in fingerpicked arrangements where a full six-string barre isn't necessary.
- Does C#maj7 ever function as anything other than a tonic chord?
- It occasionally appears as IV in a related key, still carrying its smooth, unresolved quality even when it isn't the harmonic center of the piece.
- Why might a songwriter choose C#maj7 over a plain C# major triad?
- The added seventh gives a tonic chord more texture and sophistication without introducing any tension, suiting moods that want warmth and richness rather than the harder, simpler brightness of an unadorned major chord.
- Does the high fret position affect how sustained this chord sounds?
- Shorter string length up here means slightly less natural sustain than the same shape would have near the nut, which is one reason many recordings favor a lower or open-adjacent maj7 voicing when the part calls for a long, ringing chord.
C#maj7 on other instruments: C#maj7 on Piano, C#maj7 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.