C#maj7 arpeggio
C# Major 7 — the notes C#, E#, G#, B# played one at a time, bottom-up and back.
Musical context
How the arpeggio relates to the chord, scale, mode and key.
How to play the arpeggio
Theory
General info
- Full name
- C# Major 7
- Root
- C#
- Quality
- Major 7
- Type
- Major seventh
- Note count
- 4
- Brief character
- Soft, rich sound characteristic of jazz context. Major seventh (7) creates a soft dissonance with the root, adding depth to the major triad.
Warm, soft, rich. Soft depth, refinement.
Defined by the warm overtone of the major seventh over a major base.
Notes & degrees
Major triad + major seventh: 1-3-5-7.
On the piano
An arpeggio is a broken chord: the same notes played one after another rather than together, bottom-up and back. On the piano they are usually split between the two hands — in an accompaniment, for instance, the left hand carries the bass while the right fills in the figuration.
Any chord can be played arpeggiato or turned into figuration — a broken bass, Alberti figures, a waltz accompaniment. Unlike the guitar, where an arpeggio is tied to the order the strings are plucked, there is no fixed fingering “shape” here — evenness and legato between the notes matter most.
Chord basis
Differs from dom7 by having a major (not minor) seventh.
Function and tensions
Tonic in jazz context (Imaj7), subdominant (IVmaj7).
Stable — functions as an enriched tonic.
Harmonic context
Imaj7 and IVmaj7 of major. Typical jazz tonic.
Ionian and Lydian modes, major pentatonic.
Melodic foundation for legato lines and modal improvisations.
Compatible scales & modes
All chord tones are contained in these scales — use them for improvisation.
Diatonic chords
This arpeggio on guitar 🎸
See how C#maj7 looks on guitar.
Circle of fifths
Keys where this chord functions as a scale degree, on the circle of fifths.
How to play on piano
Practice
Keyboard Trainer
Reinforce it in practice — play and name notes on the interactive keyboard.