Read left to right, 4th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger flat across all 4 strings at the 1st fret — the barre.
- Middle finger on the 3rd fret of the A string (1st).
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) | fret 1 | index | G♯4 | fifth |
| 3rd (C) | fret 1 | index | C♯4 | root |
| 2nd (E) | fret 1 | index | E♯4 | third |
| 1st (A) | fret 3 | middle | B♯5 | 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.
3 other ways to play C♯maj7
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.
- 5544A barre at the 4th fret and two more fingers
- 6888A shape at the 6th fret · four fingers
- 10-0-9-8A shape at the 8th fret · three fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
5544 is C♯maj7 without the full barre — fewer strings, the same chord. It is a real voicing, not a cheat, and plenty of players keep using it.
Or use a capo: clamp it at the 1st fret and play the Cmaj7 shape. Every string is raised 1 semitone, so that open shape now sounds C♯maj7.
Holding it cleanly
The barre is the hard part. Lay the index finger just behind the 1st fret, roll it slightly onto its bony outer edge, and keep the thumb behind the neck opposite it. Pluck the barred strings one at a time: a buzz or a dead string means the finger is not flat there yet.
The notes in C♯maj7
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♯ (F) – G♯ – B♯ (C). A major chord with the note a semitone under its root added: soft, open, and at rest.
The same root, other chords: C♯ major, C♯m, C♯7, C♯m7, C♯sus2, C♯sus4, C♯dim, C♯aug.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a C♯maj7 chord?
C♯ major seventh is four notes: C♯ – E♯ (F) – G♯ – B♯ (C) — the root, 3, 5 and 7 of the C♯ major scale. On ukulele the shape 1113 sounds G♯4, C♯4, E♯4 and B♯5, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play C♯maj7 on ukulele?
The usual shape is 1113 — a barre chord at the 1st fret, with a barre at the 1st fret and one more finger. If that is out of reach for now, 5544 is the same chord without the full barre. Or put a capo on the 1st fret and play the Cmaj7 shape, which then sounds C♯maj7.
Is C♯maj7 the same chord as D♭maj7?
Yes — on ukulele they are the same frets and the same sound. C♯ and D♭ are two names for one pitch, and which name a songbook prints depends on the key: a piece in a sharp key writes C♯maj7, a piece in a flat key writes D♭maj7.
What is the difference between C♯maj7 and C♯7?
C♯maj7 has the natural seventh (B♯), a semitone below the root; C♯7 flattens it another semitone. C♯maj7 is soft and at rest; C♯7 is restless and leads somewhere. A songbook that says C♯7 does not mean C♯maj7.