G7 G dominant seventh chord
- Notes
- G B D F
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- Gdom7
G to B is a major third (4 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh (F, 10 semitones above G). It is the V chord that leads back home, and the basic chord of the blues.
G7 on the piano
Root position from G4: G4, B4, D5, F5. Middle C is C4.
G7 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 G as its lowest note.
3 2 0 0 0 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds G2 B2 D3 G3 B3 F4
3 5 3 4 3 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds G2 D3 F3 B3 D4 G4
x 10 12 10 12 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds G3 D4 F4 B4 D5
The E-shape and A-shape grips 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.
G7 on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
0212 (G C E A)
Sounds G4 D4 F4 B4
Lowest note D4, so the chord finder reads it as G7/D (second inversion).
4535 (G C E A)
Sounds B4 F4 G4 D5
Lowest note F4, so the chord finder reads it as G7/F (third inversion).
Inversions of G7
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 | G B D F | G7 | |
| 1st inversion | B D F G | G7/B | |
| 2nd inversion | D F G B | G7/D | |
| 3rd inversion | F G B D | G7/F |
Where G7 fits
G7 is V7 in C major, V7 in C minor. Its B and F are a tritone apart (6 semitones). In C major the B usually rises a half step to C and the F falls a half step, which is why G7 pulls so strongly towards C.