Learn › C7 Chord on Piano (C Dominant 7th)
New Released in April 2026
C7 Chord on Piano (C Dominant 7th)
C dominant 7th (C7) is spelled C - E - G - Bb. It sounds like C with an extra Bb, the note that gives it its restless dominant colour. Here you will find its inversions, both hands and the chords it belongs with.
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- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
C7 inversions on the keyboard
Move C up an octave for the 1st inversion, then E for the 2nd, then G for the 3rd.
Root position: C E G Bb
1st inversion: E G Bb C
2nd inversion: G Bb C E
3rd inversion: Bb C E G
Playing C7 with each hand
| Hand | C | E | G | Bb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 (thumb) | 2 | 3 | 5 (little) |
| Left hand | 5 (little) | 3 | 2 | 1 (thumb) |
Play C7 broken first, C, E, G, Bb one by one, then together: a wrong key stands out.
C7 without the fifth
Root, third, seventh: C E Bb. It is the shape to learn first, and it moves smoothly to the next chord.
How C7 differs from the other 7th chords on C
One note changes and the chord gets a new name.
What C7 does in music
- C7 is the V7 chord of F major and of F minor: it pulls into F / Fm.
- In a ii-V-I in F major it is the middle chord: Gm7 → C7 → Fmaj7.
- Between E and Bb there is a tritone, the interval that creates the pull. F#7 has the same two notes, so it can replace C7 (tritone substitution).
Learning C7 step by step
- Play C, E, G, Bb slowly in root position and say "C7" each time.
- Walk up through the inversions (E G Bb C, G Bb C E, Bb C E G) without lifting the whole hand.
- Loop Gm7 → C7 → Fmaj7 until the change into and out of C7 is clean.
- Then mix it with chords you already know, in an order you do not choose: that is where it sticks.
A few minutes every day on C7 beat one long session a week.
Make C7 automatic
In ChordRunner C7 and every other chord ride towards your runner: play them in time. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
Play the demoCommon questions
How do you play C7 on the piano?
Press C, E, G, Bb together. Right hand 1, 2, 3, 5 with the thumb on C; any octave and any order of those notes is still C7.
What are the inversions of C7?
Root position C E G Bb, 1st inversion E G Bb C, 2nd inversion G Bb C E and 3rd inversion Bb C E G. Every position is still C7.
Where does C7 go?
C7 is the V7 chord of F major and of F minor: it pulls into F / Fm. In a ii-V-I in F major it is the middle chord: Gm7 → C7 → Fmaj7.
Can I practise C7 with a MIDI keyboard?
Yes. In ChordRunner a USB MIDI keyboard is detected automatically, and an acoustic piano works through the microphone. C7 counts in any inversion, as long as C, E, G, Bb sound together.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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