C7 ukulele chord
Restless and bluesy. The flattened 7th creates tension that wants to resolve, which is why it drives blues and turnarounds.
C dominant 7th · standard GCEA tuning · 3 shapes
How to Play C7 on Ukulele
The easiest shape is 0001: G string open · C string open · E string open · A string 1st fret.
Open position
0 0 0 1
Barre at fret 3
3 4 3 3
Up the neck, fret 6
0 0 6 7
Strings left to right are G, C, E and A, as the ukulele faces you. Numbers are frets; 0 means play the string open. Every shape is worked out from the notes the chord must contain and checked against them before it is published.
Notes in C7
A ukulele has four strings, so a 4-note chord uses every string for a different note — there is nothing left to double. Because the G string is tuned high (reentrant tuning), the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not the G.
Songs and Keys That Use C7
C7 belongs to one major key: F major (as the V chord).
- ii – V – I — the central cadence in jazz
- V – I — the strongest resolution in tonal music
C7 on Other Instruments
- Guitar: see the C7 guitar chord — six strings, so the shapes are different, but the notes are the same.
- Baritone ukulele (DGBE): 2313. A baritone is tuned like the top four strings of a guitar, so guitar shapes carry over and standard-ukulele shapes do not. Tune one with the baritone ukulele tuner.
Related Ukulele Chords
Tune first
A right shape on an out-of-tune ukulele still sounds wrong. Check G, C, E and A in a few seconds.
Open the Ukulele Tuner →