E7 guitar chord
E7 (E seventh) is built from E, G#, B and D, the degrees 1–3–5–b7. On guitar, the main shape is 0 2 0 1 0 0, the first diagram, marked with the star.
Say this out loud: "one, two..." — and stop right there. Uncomfortable, isn't it? The sentence is hanging. That discomfort has a sound: E7 is a sentence without a period. Tap the player below.
Hear E7 before you play
Why E7 sounds this way
Why does it sound unfinished? Inside E7, two notes are at odds: G# and D. Play the arpeggio again, no rush and catch the second and the last note — the distance between them is the tritone, one of the tensest intervals in tonal music. E and B keep the house standing while those two argue inside it. And an argument, you know, demands a resolution.
How to play E7 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 — 4 open strings 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 E7, count to three, then play A. Felt the door close? Do it again. That relief is the dominant's job.
In the app: 41 E7 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 · try 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
E7 notes and degrees
E7 stacks the root E, the major third G#, the perfect fifth B and the minor seventh D.
Where E7 shows up
Its most common job is the dominant, and dominants live as VII7 in F# minor, V7 in A major. Plainly: where it enters, the song is usually about to leave the room. In the blues, though, E7 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 · use it 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 · open in Chord and Fret
Where E7 usually goes
When E7 works as the dominant of A, it tends to resolve to A or Am. In other contexts the sequence changes: in the blues, E7 can be the home chord itself. It's a tendency, not a law.
Going beyond E7
For soloing, E Mixolydian (E F# G# A B C# D · 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7: the major scale with a lowered seventh — the blues accent); E Lydian dominant (E F# G# A# B C# D · 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, the twin dominant living three whole steps from here, the one arrangers reach for when they want to arrive at the same place by a prettier road.
E Mixolydian
In the app: the 7 positions of E Mixolydian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same E 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 E7
The E Mixolydian scale is a common choice over E7: no chord tone is left out of it. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. When E7 moves to A, its third, G#, is the leading tone of A: the note that wants to rise a half step.
Swaps that work:
- Bb7Bb7Bb7Bb7 — Tritone substitution (shared 3rd–7th tritone)
- Bm7Bm7Bm7Bm7 — Forms a II–V: precede with this ii
- Fdim7 — Passing diminished (ascending)
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
E7 jazz voicings
Jazz Lab: Drop 2 voicings in any key, free; drop 3 and shell are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
You already know how this sentence usually ends. As a dominant, the period after E7 is A — go there and close it with your own fingers.
E7 chord questions
What notes are in the E7 chord?
The E7 chord is made of the notes E, G#, B and D.
How do you play E7 on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: 0 2 0 1 0 0. “0” means play it open.
What chord comes after E7?
When E7 works as the dominant of A, it tends to resolve to A or Am. In other contexts the sequence changes: in the blues, E7 can be the home chord itself.
What scale works over E7?
The E Mixolydian scale is a common choice over E7: no chord tone is left out of it. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.