A7 Chord on Guitar

1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.

A7 is a dominant seventh chord made of 4 notes: A, C♯, E, G. It sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below, and you hear it in blues, rock and roll, and the V chord that pulls a song back home. It is the V chord of D major and turns up in 2 other keys.

The library above opens on A7 with 14 shapes up and down the neck, starting with hand-checked ones. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in A7

NoteDegreeInterval from ASemitones
A1root0
C♯3major third4
E5perfect fifth7
G♭7minor seventh10

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord.

How to play A7

23
Open positionBeginnerx02020
5fr132
E-shape barre at fret 5Medium575655
1234
Open positionEasyx02223
5fr132
Fret 5Beginnerx05650
4fr213
Fret 4Beginner545xxx
6fr213
Fret 6Beginnerxx768x

Open position (root on the 5th string), step by step

  1. 2nd finger (middle): 4th string, 2nd fret (E, the fifth).
  2. 3rd finger (ring): 2nd string, 2nd fret (C♯, the major third).
  3. Let the 5th string, 3rd string, 1st string ring open (A, G, E).
  4. Strum from the 5th string, and keep the 6th string quiet.

Tips

The open position shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 5th fret (575655): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with A7

A7 belongs to 3 keys: V in D major, V7 in D minor, VII in B minor. In D major, try I–V–vi–IV: D – A7 – Bm – G.

Common questions

What notes are in A7?

A, C♯, E, G: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play A7?

Open position: x02020 (low string first), rated Beginner.

What is the difference between A7 and Amaj7?

A7 has G where Amaj7 has G♯. A7 sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below; Amaj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful.

Is A7 a hard chord?

No. The easiest shape is rated Beginner and needs 2 fingers.

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