C#m7 guitar chord
C#m7 (C sharp minor seventh) is built from C#, E, G# and B, the degrees 1–b3–5–b7. On guitar, the main shape is x 4 6 4 5 4, the first diagram, marked with the star.
End of the workday, headphones on, the bus moving slowly — and, strangely, everything's fine. That state of mind has a chord symbol: C#m7. Give the audio below a listen and recognize it.
Hear C#m7 before you play
Why C#m7 sounds this way
The recipe: take the C#mC#mC#mC#m you know — C#, E, G# — and add B on top. Play the arpeggio again, no rush and wait for the fourth note. It doesn't make the chord happy; it takes the weight off its shoulders. That's why bossa nova, neo-soul and the whole of R&B live here.
How to play C#m7 on guitar
On the guitar, six strings give the chord room to breathe — some positions use them all, others ask you to mute the lowest ones. So start with the first position below — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Four notes sharing the same space, so there's one rule: every single one has to ring. Go note by note, like checking signatures. A muffled chord here is a double waste.
In the app: 33 C#m7 shapes on guitar
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio of each shape is part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · see it in Chord and Fret
Mid-neck positions are the favorites of anyone backing a singer: they leave the treble free for the voice. File it away for that day.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
C#m7 notes and degrees
C#m7 stacks the root C#, the minor third E, the perfect fifth G# and the minor seventh B.
Where C#m7 shows up
Now the part beginners rarely get told: C#m7's classic job is being the ii — the first piece of the ii–V–I, the most-used sentence in jazz and everything jazz ever touched. Across keys you'll find it as i7 in C# minor, v7 in F# minor, iv7 in G# minor. In other words: this chord is almost never standing still; it's setting something up.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · open in Chord and Fret
Where C#m7 usually goes
Treating C#m7 as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (F#m7) or the dominant (G#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
Going beyond C#m7
For improvising, C# Dorian (C# D# E F# G# A# B · 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7: the minor scale with a major sixth — the minor that smirks); C# Aeolian (C# D# E F# G# A B · 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the natural minor, the major scale's relative sibling); C# Dorian ♭2 (C# D E F# G# A# B · 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 b7: a dorian with a lowered second) contain the whole chord. And the jazz shapes at the bottom are these same four notes rearranged across the neck: same chord, arranger's tailoring.
C# Dorian
In the app: the 7 positions of C# Dorian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same C# Dorian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scales to improvise over C#m7
To improvise over C#m7 as home, the C# Aeolian scale fits entirely: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (G#) pulls back, the leading tone C is the note that wants to resolve home.
Swaps that work:
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
C#m7 jazz voicings
Jazz Lab: Drop 2 voicings in any key, free; drop 3 and shell are part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret
The thing this chord is preparing has a name: F#7. Chain the two and there it is — half a ii–V in your pocket, jazz's favorite sentence.
C#m7 chord questions
What notes are in the C#m7 chord?
The C#m7 chord is made of the notes C#, E, G# and B.
How do you play C#m7 on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: x 4 6 4 5 4. “x” means that string does not sound. The shape starts at fret 4.
What chord comes after C#m7?
Treating C#m7 as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (F#m7) or the dominant (G#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
What scale works over C#m7?
To improvise over C#m7 as home, the C# Aeolian scale fits entirely: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.