Cmaj7 — the C major 7 guitar chord
Cmaj7 is C major gone soft focus. Lift one finger from C and the chord turns airy and reflective, which is why lo-fi and gentle pop are full of it. It’s easier than C, but the same rules hold: skip the low E string, and don’t let the middle finger brush the open G.
How to play it
- Middle finger on the D string (4th), 2nd fret.
- Ring finger on the A string (5th), 3rd fret.
- Let the open G string (3rd), B string (2nd) and high E string (1st) ring.
- Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.
Changes to practice
Holding Cmaj7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice Cmaj7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Open Major 7ths set:
- Cmaj7 ↔ Amaj7 C major 7 to A major 7
- Cmaj7 ↔ Dmaj7 C major 7 to D major 7
- Cmaj7 ↔ Gmaj7 C major 7 to G major 7