F#7 F# dominant seventh chord
- Notes
- F# A# C# E
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 above the root
- Also written
- Gb7 (Gb Bb Db Fb)
- Other symbols
- F#dom7
F# to A# is a major third (4 semitones), A# to C# is a minor third (3 semitones), C# to E is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh (E, 10 semitones above F#). It is the V chord that leads back home, and the basic chord of the blues.
F#7 on the piano
Root position from F#4: F#4, A#4, C#5, E5. Middle C is C4.
F#7 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.
2 4 2 3 2 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#2 C#3 E3 A#3 C#4 F#4
x 9 11 9 11 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#3 C#4 E4 A#4 C#5
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 F#7
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# E | F#7 | |
| 1st inversion | A# C# E F# | F#7/A# | |
| 2nd inversion | C# E F# A# | F#7/C# | |
| 3rd inversion | E F# A# C# | F#7/E |
Where F#7 fits
F#7 is V7 in B major, V7 in B minor. Its A# and E are a tritone apart (6 semitones). In B major the A# usually rises a half step to B and the E falls a half step, which is why F#7 pulls so strongly towards B.