Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Chord

C Seventh Sharp Five Chord (C7♯5)

Restless, rising and bluesy. A dominant seventh with an augmented fifth that pushes upward to the next chord.

C7♯5
4 notes
x36354

1Composition: what it contains

C – E – G♯ – B♭

Symbol: C7♯5
Also written: C7♯5, Caug7, C+7, C7+, C7(♯5)
Formula: 1 3 ♯5 ♭7

Degree	Note	Interval	Semitones
1	C	unison	0
3	E	major third	4
♯5	G♯	augmented fifth	8
♭7	B♭	minor seventh	10

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

On the guitar

C Seventh Sharp Five Chord (C7♯5) – guitar chord diagram 1 (x36354) — `x36354`fret 3

C Seventh Sharp Five Chord (C7♯5) – guitar chord diagram 2 (8-11-8-9-9-8) — `8-11-8-9-9-8`fret 8

C Seventh Sharp Five Chord (C7♯5) – guitar chord diagram 3 (x-x-10-13-11-12) — `x-x-10-13-11-12`fret 10

On the ukulele

C Seventh Sharp Five Chord (C7♯5) – ukulele chord diagram 1 (1001) — `1001`open position

C Seventh Sharp Five Chord (C7♯5) – ukulele chord diagram 2 (3443) — `3443`fret 3

C Seventh Sharp Five Chord (C7♯5) – ukulele chord diagram 3 (5867) — `5867`fret 5

On the piano

Piano keyboard

On the staff

Treble clef

On bass and as an arpeggio

Chord tones on the bass neck

Bass pattern: root and fifth

Bass arpeggio

Chord tones on the guitar neck (degrees)

3Indications: what it is used for

A V7 chord with a raised fifth leading to the third of the I chord: common in jazz, blues, swing, gospel, ragtime and old pop. It acts as a dominant with extra pull, especially in major keys (the raised fifth moves up to the third of the tonic). The whole-tone scale fits over it, and the altered scale works when combined with ♭9 or ♯9. It also appears as a turnaround chord in blues (V7♯5 back to I7).

4Dosage: how to practise it

On guitar, learn the shape rooted on the sixth string and the shape rooted on the fifth string, and practise resolving the raised fifth up to the target chord's third. On piano, play 1-3-♯5-♭7 in all inversions and practise V7♯5–I and ii7–V7♯5–Imaj7 at 70–110 BPM. Improvise with the whole-tone scale over the chord. Five minutes daily. On bass, outline root, third and the raised fifth, and lead the raised fifth upward. Compare the chord with plain dominant sevenths and listen for the rising chromatic voice.

5Warnings and common mistakes

Do not play the natural fifth together with the raised fifth: they clash. Do not confuse 7♯5 with 7♭13: they share the same note but the ♭13 implies the natural fifth may be present, and the scale choice differs. The symbol '+7' is sometimes confused with 'maj7'; read carefully. Do not confuse with maj7♯5, which has a major seventh. On guitar, check that no open string sounds the natural fifth.

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Inversions

Inversion 1 · C7♯5/E · E – G♯ – B♭ – C
Inversion 2 · C7♯5/G♯ · G♯ – B♭ – C – E
Inversion 3 · C7♯5/B♭ · B♭ – C – E – G♯

Scales to play over C7♯5

7Other presentations available

The same chord from every note

C♯7♯5 D7♯5 E♭7♯5 E7♯5 F7♯5 F♯7♯5 G7♯5 A♭7♯5 A7♯5 B♭7♯5 B7♯5

Other chords on C

C Cm Cdim Caug Csus2 Csus4 C5 C6 Cm6 C7 Cmaj7 Cm7 Cm7♭5 Cdim7 Cm(maj7) C7sus4 Cadd9 Cm(add9) C6/9 C9 Cmaj9 Cm9 C11 Cm11 C13 C7♭9 C7♯9 C7♭5

Read this leaflet carefully before playing. Keep it near your instrument. Free to use, print and share for personal and educational use.