C♯m(maj7): C♯/D♭ Minor Major 7th Piano Chord

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	C♯, E, G♯, B♯	2-3-4-5
Left	C♯, E, G♯, B♯	5-4-3-2

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	C♯	Perfect unison	0
♭3	E	Minor third	3
5	G♯	Perfect fifth	7
7	B♯	Major seventh	11

Construction

C♯ Minor Major 7th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = C♯, E, G♯, B♯

Note	Interval	Degree
C♯	Root	1
E	Minor 3rd	♭3
G♯	Perfect 5th	5
B♯	Major 7th	7

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
C♯	black	index finger (2)	little finger (5)
E	white	middle finger (3)	ring finger (4)
G♯	black	ring finger (4)	middle finger (3)
B♯	white	little finger (5)	index finger (2)

Right hand: index finger (2) on C♯, middle finger (3) on E, ring finger (4) on G♯, little finger (5) on B♯.

Left hand: little finger (5) on C♯, ring finger (4) on E, middle finger (3) on G♯, index finger (2) on B♯.

C♯ Minor Major 7th Inversions

Root position
C♯ – E – G♯ – B♯
1st inversion (C♯m(maj7)/E)
E – G♯ – B♯ – C♯
2nd inversion (C♯m(maj7)/G♯)
G♯ – B♯ – C♯ – E
3rd inversion (C♯m(maj7)/B♯)
B♯ – C♯ – E – G♯

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the C♯ Minor Major 7th is the tonic (i) chord of C♯ Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, E Major: 4 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).

F♯C♯G♯D♯

Order of sharps

Sharps are added to a key signature in a fixed order. Each new sharp key adds the next sharp on the list.

F♯C♯G♯D♯A♯E♯B♯

Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Chords in the Key of C♯ Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of C♯ Minor:

i — C♯ Minor (minor)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	i	C♯ Minor	Minor
2	ii°	D♯ Diminished	Diminished
3	III	E Major	Major
4	iv	F♯ Minor	Minor
5	v	G♯ Minor	Minor
6	VI	A Major	Major
7	VII	B Major	Major

Looking for C♯m7? See the C♯ minor 7th piano chord.

C♯ Minor Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in C♯mMaj7?

C♯mMaj7 contains C♯, E, G♯ and B♯. The formula is 1, ♭3, 5, 7.

How do you play C♯mMaj7 on piano?

Play C♯, E, G♯ and B♯ together. Right hand fingers 2, 3, 4, 5; left hand 5, 4, 3, 2. C♯ and G♯ are black keys; E and B♯ are white.

What are the inversions of C♯mMaj7?

4 positions: root position C♯ E G♯ B♯, C♯mMaj7/E, C♯mMaj7/G♯, C♯mMaj7/B♯.

What is the difference between C♯mMaj7 and C♯m?

Drops B♯. 3 of the notes are shared.

What is an easy C♯mMaj7 for small hands?

The close, second inversion voicing, G♯3 B♯4 C♯4 E4, spans 8 semitones or about 110 mm.

What are the frequencies of C♯mMaj7?

From C♯3 at A440 in 12-TET: 138.59, 164.81, 207.65, 261.63 Hz.

What is the set class of C♯mMaj7?

Prime form (0148), Forte 4-19, interval vector <101310>.

How do I transpose C♯mMaj7 to another key?

Keep the 1, ♭3, 5, 7 formula on the new root. CmMaj7 is C, E♭, G, B; D♭mMaj7 is D♭, F♭, A♭, C.

Is D♭mMaj7 the same as C♯mMaj7?

Enharmonically yes: the same piano keys and the same sound, spelled differently.

C♯ Minor Major 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	C♯3 E3 G♯3 B♯4	11	151 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	E3 G♯3 B♯4 C♯4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	G♯3 B♯4 C♯4 E4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	B♯4 C♯4 E4 G♯4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	G♯2 C♯3 E3 B♯4	16	220 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	E2 C♯3 G♯3 B♯4	20	275 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	C♯2 G♯2 E3 B♯4	23	316 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root 7 ♭3	C♯2 B♯3 E3	15	206 mm	omits G♯	subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 7	E3 B♯4	8	110 mm	omits C♯ and G♯	subset
Rootless close	E3 G♯3 B♯4	8	110 mm	omits C♯	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	C♯	C♯3, E3, G♯3, B♯4	7	11	151 mm
First inversion: C♯mMaj7/E	E	E3, G♯3, B♯4, C♯4	6/5	9	124 mm
Second inversion: C♯mMaj7/G♯	G♯	G♯3, B♯4, C♯4, E4	4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: C♯mMaj7/B♯	B♯	B♯4, C♯4, E4, G♯4	4/2	8	110 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
C♯m	drops B♯	1 ♭3 5	3
C♯maj7	E becomes E♯	1 3 5 7	3
C♯m7	B♯ becomes B	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	3
C♯m6	B♯ becomes A♯	1 ♭3 5 6	3
C♯maj9	E becomes E♯, D♯	1 3 5 7 9	3
C♯m9	B♯ becomes B, D♯	1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9	3
C♯	E, B♯ becomes E♯	1 3 5	2
C♯dim	G♯, B♯ becomes G	1 ♭3 ♭5	2
C♯sus2	E, B♯ becomes D♯	1 2 5	2
C♯sus4	E, B♯ becomes F♯	1 4 5	2
C♯7	E, B♯ becomes E♯, B	1 3 5 ♭7	2
C♯m7♭5	G♯, B♯ becomes G, B	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
C♯3	49	138.59 Hz
E3	52	164.81 Hz
G♯3	56	207.65 Hz
B♯4	60	261.63 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {1, 4, 8, 0}
Normal order: [0, 1, 4, 8]
Prime form: (0148)
Forte number: 4-19
Interval vector: <101310>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
C♯ to E	Minor third	3	3
C♯ to G♯	Perfect fifth	7	5
C♯ to B♯	Major seventh	11	1
E to G♯	Major third	4	4
E to B♯	Minor sixth	8	4
G♯ to B♯	Major third	4	4

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a minor major 7th applied to the root C♯, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

C♯ Minor Major 7th

Fingerings

C♯ Minor Major 7th: notes and degrees