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Anatomy
Dominant 7th Chord Formula
The 4 scale degrees that form every dominant 7th chord — in any key.
I
Root0 st
III
Major 3rd+4 st
V
Perfect 5th+7 st
♭VII
Minor 7th+10 st
A dominant 7th chord is a major triad with a minor 7th stacked on top. The major third and perfect fifth give it a major-chord foundation, but the flat seventh introduces tension that begs to resolve — which is exactly why dominant 7ths are the engine of blues and the V chord of nearly every key.
Applied to G: G (root) – B (major 3rd) – D (perfect 5th) – F (minor 7th). Applied to C: C – E – G – B♭. Applied to E: E – G# – B – D.
About this tool
About 7th Chords on Guitar
The "7th chord" — short for dominant 7th — is the most musically loaded of the basic four-note chords. Its formula combines a major triad with a flat seventh, creating an inherent tension that wants to resolve to another chord. That tension is the foundation of blues (where every chord is a dominant 7th), the V → I cadence of classical and jazz, and countless rock and funk riffs. Once you can play 7th chords across the neck, you have a passport to genres that "just plain major and minor" can't access.
- 01Built from 4 notes: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th (formula 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7)
- 02Tense, unresolved sound — the chord naturally pulls toward another chord a perfect 4th higher
- 03The defining chord type of blues — every chord in a 12-bar blues (I, IV, V) is a dominant 7th
- 04G7 → C is the textbook "perfect cadence" of Western music — countless songs end on this resolution
- 05Written with a number 7 after the root letter: C7, D7, G7 — no "dom" or "dominant" appears in the chord symbol
- 06E7, A7, B7, and D7 are the four standard open voicings; barre versions cover the rest of the fretboard
- 07Distinct from major 7 (Cmaj7, with a natural 7th) and minor 7 (Cm7, with a flat 3rd) — three chord types share the "7" suffix but differ in formula
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
A 7th chord — more precisely a dominant 7th — is a four-note chord built from a major triad plus a minor 7th. For example, G7 contains G, B, D, and F. Dominant 7ths sound tense and unresolved, which is why they're central to blues and lead naturally into other chords.
There are 12 dominant 7th chords — one for each note in the chromatic scale: C7, C#7/Db7, D7, D#7/Eb7, E7, F7, F#7/Gb7, G7, G#7/Ab7, A7, A#7/Bb7, and B7.
A "7th chord" (dominant 7th, e.g. G7) is a major triad with a minor 7th — formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7. A major 7th (Gmaj7) uses a natural 7th — 1, 3, 5, 7. A minor 7th (Gm7) is a minor triad with a minor 7th — 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7. They sound very different: dominant is bluesy and tense, major 7th is jazzy and dreamy, minor 7th is mellow and smooth.
Blues progressions use dominant 7th chords on the I, IV, and V — for example E7, A7, B7 in a blues in E. The ♭7 interval is what gives the blues its signature gritty, unresolved sound.
The dominant 7th formula is 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7: root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. Applied to G: G (1), B (3), D (5), F (♭7).
Dominant 7th chords are written with a "7" after the root letter — "G7" means G dominant 7th. There is no "dom" or "dominant" written explicitly; the bare "7" implies the dominant flavour. To distinguish major or minor 7ths, you must add "maj" or "m" (Gmaj7, Gm7).
All Chord Types
Looking for something else? Search the full Chord Library — hundreds of diagrams across every chord type, including diminished 7th, augmented, 6th, slash, and extended chords.