F7 guitar chord
F7 (F seventh) is built from F, A, C and Eb, the degrees 1–3–5–b7. On guitar, the main shape is 1 3 1 2 1 1, the first diagram, marked with the star.
You know when you climb stairs in the dark and count one step too many? Your foot hangs there, waiting for a floor that never came. Give the audio below a listen: F7 is that foot in the air.
Hear F7 before you play
Why F7 sounds this way
Why does it sound unfinished? Inside F7, two notes are at odds: A and D#. Go back to the audio and catch the arpeggio note by note and catch the second and the last note — the distance between them is the tritone, one of the tensest intervals in tonal music. F and C keep the house standing while those two argue inside it. And an argument, you know, demands a resolution.
How to play F7 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; it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Now the experiment that explains this chord better than any explanation: play F7, hold it for one breath, then play Bb. Felt the door close? Do it again. That relief is the dominant's job.
In the app: 34 F7 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 · open in Chord and Fret
Save the positions below for when the blues calls: over there, this chord is the house language.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
F7 notes and degrees
F7 stacks the root F, the major third A, the perfect fifth C and the minor seventh Eb.
Where F7 shows up
Its most common job is the dominant, and dominants live as VII7 in G minor. Plainly: where it enters, the song is usually about to leave the room. In the blues, though, F7 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 · see 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 · use it in Chord and Fret
Where F7 usually goes
When F7 works as the dominant of Bb, it usually resolves to Bb or BbmBbmBbmBbm. In other contexts the sequence changes: in the blues, F7 can be the home chord itself. Typically, not a rule.
Going beyond F7
For soloing, F Mixolydian (F G A Bb C D Eb · 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7: the major scale with a lowered seventh — the blues accent); F Lydian dominant (F G A B C D Eb · 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.
F Mixolydian
In the app: the 7 positions of F Mixolydian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same F 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 F7
The F Mixolydian scale is a common choice over F7: no chord tone is left out of it. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. When F7 moves to Bb, its third, A, is the leading tone of Bb: the note that wants to rise a half step.
Swaps that work:
- B7B7B7B7 — Tritone substitution (shared 3rd–7th tritone)
- Cm7Cm7Cm7Cm7 — Forms a II–V: precede with this ii
- Gbdim7 — 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
F7 jazz voicings
Jazz Lab: Drop 2 voicings in any key, free; drop 3 and shell are part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
You already know how this sentence usually ends. As a dominant, the period after F7 is Bb — go there and close it with your own fingers.
F7 chord questions
What notes are in the F7 chord?
The F7 chord is made of the notes F, A, C and Eb.
How do you play F7 on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: 1 3 1 2 1 1.
What chord comes after F7?
When F7 works as the dominant of Bb, it usually resolves to Bb or Bbm. In other contexts the sequence changes: in the blues, F7 can be the home chord itself.
What scale works over F7?
The F Mixolydian scale is a common choice over F7: no chord tone is left out of it. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.