B7 guitar chord
B7 (B seventh) is built from B, D#, F# and A, the degrees 1–3–5–b7. On guitar, the main shape is x 2 1 2 0 2, the first diagram, marked with the star.
Breathe in right now. Hold it. ...Feel your body asking for the second half? B7 is a song breathing like that — first half only. Press play down there.
Hear B7 before you play
Why B7 sounds this way
Why does it sound unfinished? Inside B7, two notes are at odds: D# and A. Now listen to the arpeggio, one note at a time and catch the second and the last note — the distance between them is the tritone, one of the tensest intervals in tonal music. B and F# keep the house standing while those two argue inside it. And an argument, you know, demands a resolution.
How to play B7 on guitar
On the guitar, six strings give the chord room to breathe — some positions use them all, others ask you to mute the lowest ones. So grab the first position below — 1 open string to help you; it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Now the experiment that explains this chord better than any explanation: play B7, count to three, then play E. Felt the door close? Do it again. That relief is the dominant's job.
In the app: 34 B7 shapes on guitar
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio of each shape is part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · use it in Chord and Fret
The other positions earn their keep in blues and jazz, where this chord is practically the official language; learn them one at a time.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
B7 notes and degrees
B7 stacks the root B, the major third D#, the perfect fifth F# and the minor seventh A.
Where B7 shows up
Its most common job is the dominant, and dominants live as VII7 in C# minor, V7 in E major. Plainly: where it enters, the song is usually about to leave the room. In the blues, though, B7 can also be the home chord. A chart full of 7th chords is a song that won't sit still.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · see it in Chord and Fret
Where B7 usually goes
When B7 works as the dominant of E, it usually resolves to E or EmEmEmEm. In other contexts the sequence changes: in the blues, B7 can be the home chord itself. Typically, not a rule.
Going beyond B7
For soloing, B Mixolydian (B C# D# E F# G# A · 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7: the major scale with a lowered seventh — the blues accent); B Lydian dominant (B C# D# E# F# G# A · 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7: a mixolydian with a raised fourth: the dominant in formalwear) cover the whole chord. And look at the first swap on the list below: that's the famous tritone substitution, a second dominant hiding three whole steps away, the one arrangers reach for when they want to arrive at the same place by a prettier road.
B Mixolydian
In the app: the 7 positions of B Mixolydian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same B Mixolydian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scales to improvise over B7
The B Mixolydian scale is a common choice over B7: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. When B7 moves to E, its third, D#, is the leading tone of E: the note that wants to rise a half step.
Swaps that work:
- F7F7F7F7 — Tritone substitution (shared 3rd–7th tritone)
- F#m7F#m7F#m7F#m7 — Forms a II–V: precede with this ii
- Cdim7 — Passing diminished (ascending)
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
B7 jazz voicings
Jazz Lab: Drop 2 voicings in any key, free; drop 3 and shell are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
You already know how this sentence usually ends. As a dominant, the period after B7 is E — go there and close it with your own fingers.
B7 chord questions
What notes are in the B7 chord?
The B7 chord is made of the notes B, D#, F# and A.
How do you play B7 on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: x 2 1 2 0 2. “x” means that string does not sound. “0” means play it open.
What chord comes after B7?
When B7 works as the dominant of E, it usually resolves to E or Em. In other contexts the sequence changes: in the blues, B7 can be the home chord itself.
What scale works over B7?
The B Mixolydian scale is a common choice over B7: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.