Read left to right, 4th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 2nd fret of the A string (1st).
- Let the G, C and E strings ring open.
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th (G) | open | — | G4 | fifth |
| 3rd (C) | open | — | C4 | root |
| 2nd (E) | open | — | E4 | third |
| 1st (A) | fret 2 | index | B4 | major seventh |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
2 other ways to play Cmaj7
The same 4 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- 0077A shape at the 7th fret · two fingers
- 5777A shape at the 5th fret · four fingers
Holding it cleanly
3 strings ring open next to fretted ones. Arch the fingers so they come down on their tips — a finger lying flat will deaden the open string beside it, and the chord loses a note without sounding obviously wrong.
The notes in Cmaj7
A major seventh chord is built from the root (1), 3, 5 and 7 of its root’s major scale. From C that gives C – E – G – B. A major chord with the note a semitone under its root added: soft, open, and at rest.
The same root, other chords: C major, Cm, C7, Cm7, Csus2, Csus4, Cdim, Caug.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a Cmaj7 chord?
C major seventh is four notes: C – E – G – B — the root, 3, 5 and 7 of the C major scale. On ukulele the shape 0002 sounds G4, C4, E4 and B4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play Cmaj7 on ukulele?
The usual shape is 0002 — an open-position shape, with one finger. It is already about as easy as this chord gets.
What is the difference between Cmaj7 and C7?
Cmaj7 has the natural seventh (B), a semitone below the root; C7 flattens it another semitone. Cmaj7 is soft and at rest; C7 is restless and leads somewhere. A songbook that says C7 does not mean Cmaj7.