E7 E dominant seventh chord
- Notes
- E G# B D
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- Edom7
E to G# is a major third (4 semitones), G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh (D, 10 semitones above E). It is the V chord that leads back home, and the basic chord of the blues.
E7 on the piano
Root position from E4: E4, G#4, B4, D5. Middle C is C4.
E7 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 E as its lowest note.
0 2 0 1 0 0 (low E to high e)
Sounds E2 B2 D3 G#3 B3 E4
x 7 9 7 9 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 B3 D4 G#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 E7
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 | E G# B D | E7 | |
| 1st inversion | G# B D E | E7/G# | |
| 2nd inversion | B D E G# | E7/B | |
| 3rd inversion | D E G# B | E7/D |
Where E7 fits
E7 is V7 in A major, V7 in A minor. Its G# and D are a tritone apart (6 semitones). In A major the G# usually rises a half step to A and the D falls a half step, which is why E7 pulls so strongly towards A.