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C♯ minor major 7th chord on guitar (C♯mMaj7)
Also called or written C♯mMaj7, C♯minmaj7, C♯mmaj7, C♯mM7, C♯ Minor Sharp 7 or C♯ Minor ♯7
C♯ minor major 7th is built from C♯, E, G♯, and B♯. The 4th fret voicing uses a barre across the top two strings, making it a compact but demanding shape.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7
- Root positionC♯–E–G♯–B♯C♯mMaj7×-4-6-5-5-4
- First inversionE–G♯–B♯–C♯C♯mMaj7/E0-3-2-1-2-0
- Second inversionG♯–B♯–C♯–EC♯mMaj7/G♯4-4-6-5-5-4
- Third inversionB♯–C♯–E–G♯C♯mMaj7/B♯×-3-2-1-2-0
How do you play a C♯ minor major 7th chord on guitar?
C♯ minor major 7th is played at the 4th fret as × 4 6 5 5 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, pinky finger on the D string at fret 6, middle finger on the G string at fret 5 and ring finger on the B string at fret 5. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 4 | 1 (barre) | C♯ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 4 | G♯ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 2 | B♯ (7) |
| 2 (B) | 5 | 3 | E (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | G♯ (5) |
AdvancedThe index finger must barre the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky stretches to the 6th fret on the D string.
9th fret
C♯ minor major 7th is played at the 9th fret as 9 11 10 9 9 9: barre your index finger across fret 9, pinky finger on the A string at fret 11 and ring finger on the D string at fret 10.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9 | 1 (barre) | C♯ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 4 | G♯ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 3 | B♯ (7) |
| 3 (G) | 9 | 1 (barre) | E (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 1 (barre) | G♯ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 1 (barre) | C♯ (1) |
11th fret
C♯ minor major 7th is played at the 11th fret as × × 11 13 13 12: index finger on the D string at fret 11, ring finger on the G string at fret 13, pinky finger on the B string at fret 13 and middle 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) | 11 | 1 | C♯ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 3 | G♯ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 4 | B♯ (7) |
| 1 (e) | 12 | 2 | E (♭3) |
C♯minmaj7/E inversion · open position
C♯ minor major 7th is played in open position as 0 3 2 1 2 0: pinky finger on the A string at fret 3, middle finger on the D string at fret 2, index finger on the G string at fret 1 and ring finger on the B string at fret 2. The low E and high e strings ring open.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | open | — | E (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 4 | B♯ (7) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 2 | E (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 | G♯ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 3 | C♯ (1) |
| 1 (e) | open | — | E (♭3) |
C♯minmaj7/E inversion · fret 11
C♯ minor major 7th is played at the 11th fret as 12 11 11 13 13 ×: barre your index finger across fret 11, middle finger on the low E string at fret 12, ring finger on the G string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 13. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 12 | 2 | E (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♯ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 1 (barre) | C♯ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 3 | G♯ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 4 | B♯ (7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
C♯ minor major 7th stacks a minor triad (1, ♭3, 5) with a major seventh (7), giving the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7. The major seventh B♯ is what gives this chord its distinctive tension. Compare it to C♯ minor, which lacks that seventh and sounds more stable.
What goes wrong with C♯ minor major 7th?
- Letting the low E string ring, which is a chord tone but would change the bass note.
- Buzzing the high e string under the barre.
- Muting the B string with the ring finger by flattening it.
When to use it
C♯ minor major 7th often appears as a tonic in C♯ minor, moving to C♯ minor or C♯ suspended 4th. It fits dark jazz, metal ballads, and tense film cues.
Changing to and from C♯ minor major 7th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret gives B minor major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret voicing is the easiest and has C♯ in the bass. The 9th fret barre voicing offers a fuller sound with the root on the low E string. The inversion voicing has E in the bass, giving a first-inversion color.
Other C♯ chords
Common questions
How is C♯ minor major 7th written?
C♯ minor major 7th is written C♯mmaj7, C♯minmaj7, or C♯mM7. The ASCII root is C#. It is also spelled D♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why does the 4th fret voicing mute the low E string?
The low E is a chord tone, but muting it keeps the bass note as C♯, preserving the root position. Letting it ring would create a second-inversion sound with E in the bass.
How does C♯ minor major 7th differ from C♯ minor 7th?
C♯ minor 7th has a minor seventh (B) while C♯ minor major 7th has a major seventh (B♯). The major seventh creates a sharper, more leading-tone pull.
What scale does C♯ minor major 7th come from?
C♯ minor major 7th appears in C♯ harmonic minor and C♯ melodic minor scales. The raised seventh degree of those scales is the B♯ in this chord.