Guitar chord reference
Major 7 guitar chord: five CAGED shapes
A major seventh chord adds the major 7th to a major triad. The close pull between 7 and root creates a rich but stable major colour that rewards careful voice leading.
Chord construction and function
The major 3rd confirms the quality and the major 7th supplies the extension. Notice where 7 sits a semitone below each root in every CAGED voicing.
- Chord formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- Notes in Cmaj7
- C · E · G · B
Cmaj7 in CAGED neck order
Root notes are highlighted. Read each movable voicing as a set of chord tones, not simply as a copied open shape.
C shape
A shape
G shape
E shape
D shape
Practice drill
Play each shape as an arpeggio and resolve every 7 to the nearest root. Then connect adjacent shapes while keeping either the 3rd or 7th on top.
Open the chord randomiser