Voicings · C7♯5 · Piano
C7♯5 is spelled C – E – G♯ – B♭ (1 3 ♯5 ♭7) — a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth. Here are 4 ways to voice it on piano: close position, drop 2, drop 3, shell. Every diagram is playable — press play to hear the chord, or “roll it” to hear the voices one by one, low to high.
The voicings
Root, third, fifth and seventh stacked within one octave — the reference voicing (piano; too tight to finger on guitar).
Take the close voicing and drop its second-highest voice an octave. The most-used four-note voicing on guitar and in piano left hands.
Drop the third-highest voice of the close voicing an octave: a wide, open sound.
Root, seventh and third only. The fifth is dropped — it adds nothing to the chord's identity — leaving a light, clear voicing.
Reference
| Chord tone | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison |
| 3 | E | major 3rd |
| ♯5 | G♯ | minor 6th |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor 7th |
Arpeggio: C7♯5 arpeggio on piano. Scale: C Whole tone.
Common questions
C, E, G♯, B♭ — chord tones 1 3 ♯5 ♭7.
The shell voicing: C – B♭ – E in the left hand. Three notes that carry the whole identity of the chord.
Start from the close voicing C E G♯ B♭ and drop the second note from the top an octave: G♯ – C – E – B♭. It spreads the chord so it fits the hand — and on guitar it fits four adjacent strings.
C7♯5 is a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth. Its character is floating, whole-tone.
Keep going
Same chord on guitar · Augmented 7th (7♯5) hub.
Other chords from C