F7 Chord on Guitar
Notes F A C E♭. Start with the 4-string F7 (x x 1 2 1 1), then the E7-shape barre at fret 1 (1 3 1 2 1 1).
Chord · F7 dominant 7th
Easy F7 (4 strings) · x x 1 2 1 1
movable, no open strings
E7-shape barre (fret 1) · 1 3 1 2 1 1
barre, movable
D7-shape, 4 strings (fret 3) · x x 3 5 4 5
movable, no open strings
A7-shape barre (fret 8) · x 8 10 8 10 8
barre, movable
1 F3 A5 C♭7 E♭
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 4 to 1 at fret 1
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 1
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 2
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 1
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 1
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at fret 1
- String 6 (low E): index (1), fret 1
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 3
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 1
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 2
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 1
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 1
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 3
- String 3 (G): ring (3), fret 5
- String 2 (B): middle (2), fret 4
- String 1 (high e): pinky (4), fret 5
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at fret 8
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): index (1), fret 8
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 10
- String 3 (G): index (1), fret 8
- String 2 (B): pinky (4), fret 10
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 8
Notes and formula
| Degree | Note | Interval from F |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | root |
| 3 | A | major 3rd |
| 5 | C | perfect 5th |
| ♭7 | E♭ | minor 7th |
Formula 1 3 5 ♭7 (dominant 7th).
Also written F 7th, F dominant 7th.
More on this chord type: Dominant 7th chords · 7th chords explained
Capo shapes that sound as F7
Open shapes you may already know, moved up with a capo.
E7 shape + capo 1
D7 shape + capo 3
C7 shape + capo 5
B7 shape + capo 6
Need the capo fret for a whole song? Capo calculator: any song key, any shapes. New to the capo? How to use a capo.
Where F7 leads
As a dominant 7th, F7 is the V7 of B♭ major and pulls to B♭: F7 → B♭.
| 12-bar blues in | F7 is the | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| F | I7 | |
| C | IV7 | |
| B♭ | V7 |
Keys that contain F7
| Key | F7 is the |
|---|---|
| B♭ major | V7 |
| G minor | VII7 |
Minor keys here use the natural minor scale.
Playing F7: what goes wrong
F7 leads to B♭
F7 is the V7 chord of B♭ major. In a 12-bar blues it is the I7 in F, the IV7 in C and the V7 in B♭.
One finger fewer than the F barre
In the E7-shape barre (1 3 1 2 1 1) the index alone frets string 4, so only three fingers are down instead of four.
Related chords
Learn and practise F7
- Metronomepractise the change to F7 at 60 BPM
- How to read chord chartsstrings, frets, fingers, x and o
- Chord finder (chord namer)name any other shape you find
FAQ
What notes are in F7?
F, A, C, E♭: the 1, 3, 5, ♭7 of the F7 dominant 7th chord.
What is the difference between F and F7?
F7 adds E♭, the flat 7th: F, A, C, E♭. In the barre shapes the finger on string 4 at fret 3 comes off and the index barre gives E♭ there.