B7 B dominant seventh chord
- Notes
- B D# F# A
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- Bdom7
B to D# is a major third (4 semitones), D# to F# is a minor third (3 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh (A, 10 semitones above B). It is the V chord that leads back home, and the basic chord of the blues.
B7 on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, D#5, F#5, A5. Middle C is C4.
B7 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has B as its lowest note.
x 2 4 2 4 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 A3 D#4 F#4
7 9 7 8 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 A3 D#4 F#4 B4
The barre shapes are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play dominant seventh chords on other roots.
Inversions of B7
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | B D# F# A | B7 | |
| 1st inversion | D# F# A B | B7/D# | |
| 2nd inversion | F# A B D# | B7/F# | |
| 3rd inversion | A B D# F# | B7/A |
Where B7 fits
B7 is V7 in E major, V7 in E minor. Its D# and A are a tritone apart (6 semitones). In E major the D# usually rises a half step to E and the A falls a half step, which is why B7 pulls so strongly towards E.