G7 Chord on Guitar

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

G7 is a dominant seventh chord made of 4 notes: G, B, D, F. 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 C major and turns up in 2 other keys.

The library above opens on G7 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 G7

NoteDegreeInterval from GSemitones
G1root0
B3major third4
D5perfect fifth7
F♭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 G7

321
Open positionBeginner320001
3fr132
E-shape barre at fret 3Medium353433
213
Open positionBeginner32300x
1
Open positionBeginnerxxx001
3fr1423
Fret 3Easy3534xx
4fr213
Fret 4Beginnerxx546x

Open position (root on the 6th string), step by step

  1. 1st finger (index): 1st string, 1st fret (F, the minor seventh).
  2. 2nd finger (middle): 5th string, 2nd fret (B, the major third).
  3. 3rd finger (ring): 6th string, 3rd fret (G, the root).
  4. Let the 4th string, 3rd string, 2nd string ring open (D, G, B).
  5. Strum from the 6th string across all six strings.

Tips

The open position shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 9th fret (x(10)9(10)xx): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with G7

G7 belongs to 3 keys: V in C major, V7 in C minor, VII in A minor. In C major, try I–V–vi–IV: C – G7 – Am – F.

Common questions

What notes are in G7?

G, B, D, F: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play G7?

Open position: 320001 (low string first), rated Beginner.

What is the difference between G7 and Gmaj7?

G7 has F where Gmaj7 has F♯. G7 sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below; Gmaj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful.

Is G7 a hard chord?

No. The easiest shape is rated Beginner and needs 3 fingers.

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