Guitar chords · Dominant 7th
F7 chord on guitar
F7 (F 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: F, A, C and E♭, 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 F7
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.
F7 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 1 or the A shape at fret 8. A 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. 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.
E shape · fret 1
A shape · fret 8
Notes and formula
What makes F7 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 F7 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.
- FRroot
- A3essential
- C5optional
- E♭♭7essential
- F, the root
- Other chord tones
F7 usually resolves to B♭ or B♭m, the chord a 5th below: the V7–I move.
Keys
Keys with F7
F7 belongs to three keys: B♭ major (V7), B♭ 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.) and G minor (VII7).
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 F7
Common progressions that use F7, each in a key that spells it F7. The outlined chord is F7.
Jazz ii–V–I in B♭ major
ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- Cm7
- F7
- B♭maj7
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 F major
I7 – I7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7
- F7
- F7
- F7
- F7
- B♭7
- B♭7
- F7
- F7
- C7
- B♭7
- F7
- C7
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 B♭ minor
iiø7 – V7 – i7
- Cm7♭5
- F7
- B♭m7
Half-diminished ii, dominant V7 and back to the minor tonic.
Heard in Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves
Slash chords
F7 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 F7 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.
- F7/A
F7 with its 3rd, A, in the bass: the first inversion.
- F7/C
F7 with its 5th, C, in the bass: the second inversion.
- F7/E♭
F7 with its ♭7th, E♭, in the bass: the third inversion.
Same root
Other chords on F
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.
- F major
- Fm minor
- Fmaj7 major 7th
- Fm7 minor 7th
- Fsus2 suspended 2nd
- Fsus4 suspended 4th
- F6 major 6th
- Fm6 minor 6th
- Fadd9 add 9
- F9 dominant 9th
- Fmaj9 major 9th
- Fm9 minor 9th
- F13 dominant 13th
- Fmaj13 major 13th
- Fm11 minor 11th
- F° diminished
- Fm7♭5 half-diminished 7th
- F°7 diminished 7th
- F+ augmented
- F5 power chord
- F7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th
- Fm(maj7) minor major 7th
- F6/9 six-nine
- Fm(add9) minor add 9
- F7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th
Questions
F7, in short
- What notes are in the F7 chord?
- F7 (F 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: F, A, C and E♭, 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 F7 on guitar?
- F7 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 1 or the A shape at fret 8.
- What key is F7 in?
- F7 belongs to three keys: B♭ major (V7), B♭ 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.) and G minor (VII7).