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C 7th flat 5 chord on guitar (C7♭5)
Also called or written C7♭5, C, C Dominant 7th Flat 5 or C 7th ♭5
C 7th flat 5 is built from C, E, G♭, and B♭. The 3rd-fret voicing mutes both E strings, leaving a compact four-string shape.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionC–E–G♭–B♭C7♭5×-3-4-3-5-×
- First inversionE–G♭–B♭–CC7♭5/E×-×-2-3-1-2
- Second inversionG♭–B♭–C–EC7♭5/G♭2-1-2-3-1-×
- Third inversionB♭–C–E–G♭C7♭5/B♭×-1-2-3-1-2
How do you play a C 7th flat 5 chord on guitar?
C 7th flat 5 is played at the 3rd fret as × 3 4 3 5 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 3, ring finger on the D string at fret 4, middle finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 5. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 | C (1) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 3 | G♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 2 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 5 | 4 | E (3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
AdvancedThe 3rd-fret voicing requires muting both E strings while fretting the A, D, G, and B strings cleanly.
7th fret
C 7th flat 5 is played at the 7th fret as 8 7 8 9 7 ×: barre your index finger across fret 7, middle finger on the low E string at fret 8, ring finger on the D string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 9. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 2 | C (1) |
| 5 (A) | 7 | 1 (barre) | E (3) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 3 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 9 | 4 | E (3) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
8th fret
C 7th flat 5 is played at the 8th fret as 8 9 8 9 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 8, ring finger on the A string at fret 9, middle finger on the D string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 9. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 | C (1) |
| 5 (A) | 9 | 3 | G♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 2 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 9 | 4 | E (3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
10th fret
C 7th flat 5 is played at the 10th fret as × × 10 11 11 12: index finger on the D string at fret 10, middle finger on the G string at fret 11, ring finger on the B string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 12. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 | C (1) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 2 | G♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 3 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 12 | 4 | E (3) |
C7♭5/E inversion
C 7th flat 5 is played at the 1st fret as × × 2 3 1 2: middle finger on the D string at fret 2, pinky finger on the G string at fret 3, index finger on the B string at fret 1 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 2. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 2 | E (3) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 4 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 3 | G♭ (♭5) |
Why it sounds like that
C 7th flat 5 stacks a major 3rd, a diminished 5th, and a minor 7th. The diminished 5th between C and G♭ defines the chord. Compare it to C 7th, which uses G instead of G♭.
What goes wrong with C 7th flat 5?
- Letting the low E string ring out and overpower the C bass note.
- Not muting the high E string, which adds an unwanted E note.
- Flattening the pinky and muting the B string.
When to use it
C 7th flat 5 works as a dominant substitute in F major, resolving to F major. Its tense sound fits jazz and blues. Try it before F major or C 7th.
Changing to and from C 7th flat 5
- From the 3rd-fret shape, move your index finger to the 2nd fret of the A string and your ring finger to the 3rd fret of the D string for B 7th flat 5.
- Slide the 3rd-fret shape up one fret to the 4th fret to get C♯ 7th flat 5.
Which voicing to use
The 3rd-fret voicing is the most compact, but the 7th-fret barre version offers a fuller sound with the root on the low E. The C7♭5/E inversion places E in the bass for a different color.
Other C chords
Common questions
Why are both E strings muted in C 7th flat 5?
The open E strings are chord tones, but they are muted to keep the C bass note and the intended voicing. Muting them prevents the chord from becoming too dense.
What is the difference between C 7th flat 5 and C 7th?
C 7th flat 5 lowers the perfect 5th of C 7th by one semitone to G♭. That creates a diminished 5th interval and a more dissonant sound.
How does C 7th flat 5 resolve?
C 7th flat 5 typically resolves to F major. The tritone between C and G♭ pulls strongly toward the F major chord.