F7 F dominant seventh chord
- Notes
- F A C Eb
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- Fdom7
F to A is a major third (4 semitones), A to C is a minor third (3 semitones), C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh (Eb, 10 semitones above F). It is the V chord that leads back home, and the basic chord of the blues.
F7 on the piano
Root position from F4: F4, A4, C5, Eb5. Middle C is C4.
F7 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 F as its lowest note.
1 3 1 2 1 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds F2 C3 Eb3 A3 C4 F4
x 8 10 8 10 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds F3 C4 Eb4 A4 C5
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 F7
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 | F A C Eb | F7 | |
| 1st inversion | A C Eb F | F7/A | |
| 2nd inversion | C Eb F A | F7/C | |
| 3rd inversion | Eb F A C | F7/Eb |
Where F7 fits
F7 is V7 in Bb major, V7 in Bb minor. Its A and Eb are a tritone apart (6 semitones). In Bb major the A usually rises a half step to Bb and the Eb falls a half step, which is why F7 pulls so strongly towards Bb.