G7 Chord on Guitar
Notes G B D F. Start with open G7 (3 2 0 0 0 1): ring on string 6 fret 3, middle on string 5 fret 2, index on string 1 fret 1.
Chord · G7 dominant 7th
Open G7 · 3 2 0 0 0 1
open strings
E7-shape barre (fret 3) · 3 5 3 4 3 3
barre, movable
D7-shape, 4 strings (fret 5) · x x 5 7 6 7
movable, no open strings
A7-shape barre (fret 10) · x 10 12 10 12 10
barre, movable
1 G3 B5 D♭7 F
- String 6 (low E): ring (3), fret 3
- String 5 (A): middle (2), fret 2
- String 4 (D): open
- String 3 (G): open
- String 2 (B): open
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 1
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at fret 3
- String 6 (low E): index (1), fret 3
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 5
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 3
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 4
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 3
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 3
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 5
- String 3 (G): ring (3), fret 7
- String 2 (B): middle (2), fret 6
- String 1 (high e): pinky (4), fret 7
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at fret 10
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): index (1), fret 10
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 12
- String 3 (G): index (1), fret 10
- String 2 (B): pinky (4), fret 12
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 10
Notes and formula
| Degree | Note | Interval from G |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | root |
| 3 | B | major 3rd |
| 5 | D | perfect 5th |
| ♭7 | F | minor 7th |
Formula 1 3 5 ♭7 (dominant 7th).
Also written G 7th, G dominant 7th.
More on this chord type: Dominant 7th chords · 7th chords explained
Capo shapes that sound as G7
Open shapes you may already know, moved up with a capo.
E7 shape + capo 3
D7 shape + capo 5
C7 shape + capo 7
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 G7 leads
As a dominant 7th, G7 is the V7 of C major and pulls to C: G7 → C.
| 12-bar blues in | G7 is the | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| G | I7 | |
| D | IV7 | |
| C | V7 |
Keys that contain G7
| Key | G7 is the |
|---|---|
| C major | V7 |
| A minor | VII7 |
Minor keys here use the natural minor scale.
Playing G7: what goes wrong
G7 leads to C
G7 is the V7 chord of C major: its B moves up to C and its F moves down to E. That is why C, F, G7, C is the standard way to end a song in C.
Open G with F on top
Open G has G on string 1 at fret 3; G7 has F there at fret 1. The other five strings are the same, so the change is only the top note.
G7 in the blues
In a 12-bar blues G7 is the I7 chord in G, the IV7 in D and the V7 in C.
Related chords
Learn and practise G7
- Metronomepractise the change to G7 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 G7?
G, B, D, F: the 1, 3, 5, ♭7 of the G7 dominant 7th chord.
What is the difference between G and G7?
G7 adds F, the flat 7th: G, B, D, F. That one note makes it want to resolve to C, while G major sounds settled.