Cmaj7 Chord On Guitar

It’s heard in all kinds of music from jazz, blues and modern pop. If you’ve listened to guitarists such as John Mayer, George Benson or even B.B King you’ve definitely heard this chord.

All of these chords are based on the ‘CAGED guitar system’, which is a fancy way of saying you can play every chord using a variation of a C-shape, A-shape, G-shape, E-shape and D-shape.

In the next part of this guide, we’ll show you each Cmaj7 guitar chord and how to use it in a musical situation. Let’s do it!

Closeup Of Hand Playing Cmaj7 Chord On Guitar Stock Photo

(If you don't understand the above image please read our article How To Read Guitar Chordboxes In 60 Seconds. It will make everything clear!)

Beginners find the regular C major guitar chord difficult to play. This Cmaj7 guitar chord is an ideal alternative. In some situations, it sounds better than the regular C!

Tip: Because this chord sounds open and rich, it works well for singer-songwriters as it supports the vocal and creates a relaxed & fresh feel in your music.

Guitar Cmaj7 Chord

It uses more fingers and is more challenging but is also a great chord to add to your vocabulary. Let’s learn it.

This chord tends to work well in a number of musical situations. Here are a few of our favourite ways to use this chord:

As this chord has a deep sound to it, it works well as a supporting chord. This works fantastically if you’re the only guitarist as it will fill out the arrangement.

How To Play Cmaj7 Chord On Guitar, Ukulele And Piano

For more theory, check out our mega-guide: Guitar Theory: The 4 Step System For Rapid Progress Cmaj7 guitar chord – as a moveable A shape. (The most well-rounded version.)

This chord can be tricky as it needs barring. If you don’t know how to do barre chords, check out this lesson.

This voicing has more top end than the previous version so you can use it as the primary guitar part, even in a band with a second guitarist, and it will work well.

Shape Of The Cmaj7 Chord: Chord Farm

This version of the Cmaj7 guitar chord is a fantastic one to have in your toolkit. Because this chord is placed on the top 4 strings of the guitar, it has a brighter sound.

This high amount of treble makes it cut through really well and it contrasts but also harmonises with the lower C notes a bass guitarist, or other guitarist, would play. This creates a rich and textured sound. Pretty cool!

Because this voicing has a higher pitch than the previous voicing that we’ve learned, it allows us to apply it to a wide variety of musical situations.

Cmaj7 Guitar Chord (major Thirds On E Tuning)

This works because you’re playing the same notes in a different voicing. Because the two chords are in different areas of the guitar they work fantastically together and produce a wider sound.

Just like our Cmaj7 guitar chord (root on D string), this Cmaj7 guitar chord with it’s root on the G string also has a lovely top end.

This voicing can be used in a variety of different musical situations and sits perfectly in a band mix. Let’s learn how to play this essential chord:

Cmaj7#11 Chord On The Guitar (c Major 7 #11)

You can use this in a lot of the same situations as the Cmaj7 guitar chord with the root on the D string due to its higher voicing, because of this it tends to work best as a secondary guitar part.

You will often see jazz guitarists use this chord, if you’d like to learn more about how you could use this in a jazz setting check out our guide:

When playing guitar, lots of beginners will keep their thumb and wrist static in one place. Although this is good practice in the beginning, this restricts you later on.

Cmaj7 Guitar Chord Shapes

(However, one thing you definitely don’t want to do is let your thumb slip off the neck. This is a big no when playing chords as you lose all the strength behind the guitar chord. )

So many people get this wrong. Try and fret as close to your fingernail as possible, this will stop the fleshy part of your finger from touching unwanted strings.

Ideally, you want the last joint of your fingers to be as straight as possible to allow the other strings to ring out clearly.

How To Change Chords Fast On Guitar

Now you’ve learned how to play the Cmaj7 guitar chord, let’s take a look at some chord drills which will help you cement this chord into your muscle memory.

This is a great drill for any guitarist who wants to get a new chord under their belt. Here’s what you have to do:

This helps you improve, but also, because there’s a timed ‘score’ to each attempt, you SEE the improvement in speed. This is highly motivating because you can see that you are getting better.

C Chords For Guitar

If you find all of this too easy, add in extra challenges such as holding your hands behind your back, sitting on your hands, putting your hands on your head and putting the guitar on the floor. (Even though this sounds silly it can add an extra dimension of fun to your practice session!!)

The next drill also uses a stopwatch and can be a great way of drilling in new guitar chords. The idea here is that you want to try and play the chord as quickly as possible. 

As well as doing this, it’s worth keeping a record of what your time is so you can see how fast you are improving. Make sure that you are fretting the chord correctly as there’s no point practicing something that isn’t actually correct.

Passing Chords And How To Sound Amazing With Them

The whole point of learning individual chords is to learn how to play them in songs and in music. However, a lot of the chords that you learn have a special relationship with other chords.

Learn how everything fits together quickly, easily and effectively. We share ninja tips (for instant fun!) but also timeless fundamentals that will deepen your understanding.

Posted by zodaries14

Tweet