A7 Chord on Guitar
Notes A C♯ E G. Start with open A7 (x 0 2 0 2 0): two fingers, the open G string is the 7th.
Chord · A7 dominant 7th
Open A7 · x 0 2 0 2 0
open strings
A7, pinky on top · x 0 2 2 2 3
open strings
E7-shape barre (fret 5) · 5 7 5 6 5 5
barre, movable
D7-shape, 4 strings (fret 7) · x x 7 9 8 9
movable, no open strings
A7-shape barre (fret 12) · x 12 14 12 14 12
barre, movable
1 A3 C♯5 E♭7 G
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): open
- String 4 (D): middle (2), fret 2
- String 3 (G): open
- String 2 (B): ring (3), fret 2
- String 1 (high e): open
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 4 to 2 at fret 2
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): open
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 2
- String 3 (G): index (1), fret 2
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 2
- String 1 (high e): pinky (4), fret 3
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at fret 5
- String 6 (low E): index (1), fret 5
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 7
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 5
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 6
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 5
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 5
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 7
- String 3 (G): ring (3), fret 9
- String 2 (B): middle (2), fret 8
- String 1 (high e): pinky (4), fret 9
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at fret 12
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): index (1), fret 12
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 14
- String 3 (G): index (1), fret 12
- String 2 (B): pinky (4), fret 14
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 12
Notes and formula
| Degree | Note | Interval from A |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | root |
| 3 | C♯ | major 3rd |
| 5 | E | perfect 5th |
| ♭7 | G | minor 7th |
Formula 1 3 5 ♭7 (dominant 7th).
Also written A 7th, A dominant 7th.
More on this chord type: Dominant 7th chords · 7th chords explained
Capo shapes that sound as A7
Open shapes you may already know, moved up with a capo.
G7 shape + capo 2
E7 shape + capo 5
D7 shape + capo 7
Need the capo fret for a whole song? Capo calculator: any song key, any shapes. New to the capo? How to use a capo.
Where A7 leads
As a dominant 7th, A7 is the V7 of D major and pulls to D: A7 → D.
| 12-bar blues in | A7 is the | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| A | I7 | |
| E | IV7 | |
| D | V7 |
Keys that contain A7
| Key | A7 is the |
|---|---|
| D major | V7 |
| B minor | VII7 |
Minor keys here use the natural minor scale.
Playing A7: what goes wrong
A7 leads to D
A7 is the V7 chord of D major. In a 12-bar blues it is the I7 in A, the IV7 in E and the V7 in D.
A7 with G on top
x 0 2 2 2 3 keeps the full A grip and adds G on string 1 at fret 3 with the pinky. The 7th is the top note, so it sings more than in the two-finger A7.
Related chords
Learn and practise A7
- Metronomepractise the change to A7 at 60 BPM
- How to read chord chartsstrings, frets, fingers, x and o
- Chord finder (chord namer)name any other shape you find
FAQ
What notes are in A7?
A, C♯, E, G: the 1, 3, 5, ♭7 of the A7 dominant 7th chord.
What is the difference between A and A7?
A7 adds G, the flat 7th: A, C♯, E, G. In the open shapes the finger on string 3 comes off and the open G string sounds.