Guitar chords · Dominant 7th
A7 chord on guitar
A7 (A A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord.) has four notes: A, C♯, E and G, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5 and ♭7.
Shapes
How to play A7
Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7.; the other numbers are the chord tones.
A7 has an A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em., and one A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major.: the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 5. A movable shape keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., on the lowest played string, names the chord.
Open
E shape · fret 5
Notes and formula
What makes A7 dominant 7th
A A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord. chord is a major chord with a minor 7th added. Its 3rd and 7th are a The interval of six half steps, exactly half an octave, such as B to F. It is the tense heart of a dominant 7th chord. apart, and that tension pulls it to the chord a 5th below: the V7–I move that ends so many phrases. It is also the sound of the blues.
- 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
- 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
- 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.
The 3rd and the ♭7th make A7 a A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord. chord; you can leave out the 5th.
- ARroot
- C♯3essential
- E5optional
- G♭7essential
- A, the root
- Other chord tones
A7 usually resolves to D or Dm, the chord a 5th below: the V7–I move.
Keys
Keys with A7
A7 belongs to three keys: D major (V7), B minor (VII7) and D minor (V7, The natural minor scale with its 7th raised a half step, which makes the V chord major and gives it a strong pull home.).
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Progressions
Progressions with A7
Common progressions that use A7, each in a key that spells it A7. The outlined chord is A7.
Jazz ii–V–I in D major
ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- Em7
- A7
- Dmaj7
Each chord falls a fifth to the next — a walk anticlockwise around the circle.
Heard in Autumn Leaves, Fly Me to the Moon
12-bar blues in A major
I7 – I7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7
- A7
- A7
- A7
- A7
- D7
- D7
- A7
- A7
- E7
- D7
- A7
- E7
Dominant 7th chords on I, IV and V across twelve bars. The foundation of blues and early rock 'n' roll.
Heard in Johnny B. Goode, Pride and Joy, Hound Dog
Minor ii–V–i in D minor
iiø7 – V7 – i7
- Em7♭5
- A7
- Dm7
Half-diminished ii, dominant V7 and back to the minor tonic.
Heard in Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves
Slash chords
A7 over another bass note
A A chord with a different note in the bass, written after a slash: C/E is a C chord with E as its lowest note. The letter after the slash is the bass. keeps A7 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.
- A7/C♯
A7 with its 3rd, C♯, in the bass: the first inversion.
- A7/E
A7 with its 5th, E, in the bass: the second inversion.
- A7/G
A7 with its ♭7th, G, in the bass: the third inversion.
Same root
Other chords on A
Change one or two notes and the same The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7. gives a different colour. Compare them by ear.
- A major
- Am minor
- Amaj7 major 7th
- Am7 minor 7th
- Asus2 suspended 2nd
- Asus4 suspended 4th
- A6 major 6th
- Am6 minor 6th
- Aadd9 add 9
- A9 dominant 9th
- Amaj9 major 9th
- Am9 minor 9th
- A13 dominant 13th
- Amaj13 major 13th
- Am11 minor 11th
- A° diminished
- Am7♭5 half-diminished 7th
- A°7 diminished 7th
- A+ augmented
- A5 power chord
- A7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th
- Am(maj7) minor major 7th
- A6/9 six-nine
- Am(add9) minor add 9
- A7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th
Questions
A7, in short
- What notes are in the A7 chord?
- A7 (A A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord.) has four notes: A, C♯, E and G, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5 and ♭7.
- How do you play A7 on guitar?
- A7 has an A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em., and one A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major.: the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 5.
- What key is A7 in?
- A7 belongs to three keys: D major (V7), B minor (VII7) and D minor (V7, The natural minor scale with its 7th raised a half step, which makes the V chord major and gives it a strong pull home.).