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The A7 chord on guitar, open shape and barre

A7 is one of the easiest chords on the guitar and one of the most useful. It is an A major chord with a G added, and that single note changes its job: A7 no longer sounds like a place to rest, it sounds like it wants to go to D. The open shape takes two fingers, so you can learn it in a few minutes and spend your time on what matters, which is hearing where it leads.

A7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: A dominant seventh
  • Symbol: A7
  • Notes: A, C#, E, G
  • Where it belongs: V7 in D major, V7 in D minor

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Shape Frets, low E to high E Notes, low to high What it is for
A7, open x02020 A E G C# E The standard A7: two fingers, five strings, the open G string as the seventh.
A7, G on top x02023 A E G C# G Same chord with the seventh doubled on the high E. Brighter and bluesier.
A7, from the A chord x02223 A E A C# G A major with one note added: the fourth finger puts G on top. Handy when the song keeps returning to A.
A7, fifth fret barre 575655 A E G C# E A The E7 shape barred at the fifth fret. All six strings, and movable to any root.
A7, open x 0 2 0 2 0 · · 1 · 2 · fingers
A7, G on top x 0 2 0 2 3 · · 1 · 2 3 fingers
A7, from the A chord x 0 2 2 2 3 · · 1 1 1 4 fingers
A7, fifth fret barre 5 7 5 6 5 5 1 3 1 2 1 1 fingers

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

A7 on the neck: every A, C#, E, G

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of A7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still A7.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
2 - B
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
3 - G
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
4 - D
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
5 - A
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
6 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E

How to play A7, step by step

  1. First finger on the fourth string (D) at fret 2. That note is E, the fifth.
  2. Second finger on the second string (B) at fret 2. That note is C#, the third, the one that makes the chord major.
  3. Leave the A, G and high E strings open. The open G is the seventh, the note that gives A7 its pull.
  4. Strum from the fifth string (A) down. The low E is not a wrong note, E belongs to the chord, but it puts the fifth in the bass and blurs the sound. Aim for the A string.

The most common problem is the open G string going dead because the first finger leans on it. Arch that finger and press with its tip, so it stands up like a little bridge over the third string. Play the strings one by one: you should hear five clear notes.

Two fingerings work. First and second fingers, as above, is the lightest. Second and third fingers leaves the first finger free, and that pays off when the next chord is D (xx0232): the third finger is already near the B string at fret 3.

A7, Amaj7, Am7 and A9: four sevenths on A

These four names look alike and get confused all the time. They share A and E; what separates them is the third and the seventh.

Chord Notes Open shape Sound
A7 A, C#, E, G x02020 Bluesy, restless, wants to move to D
Amaj7 A, C#, E, G# x02120 Soft, dreamy, can stay put
Am7 A, C, E, G x02010 Minor, mellow
A9 A, C#, E, G, B x02423 A7 made richer, for blues and funk

A7 and Am7 differ by one note on one string: C# at fret 2 of the B string for A7, C at fret 1 for Am7. Play x02020 then x02010 and you hear major turn into minor without anything else moving.

Where A7 goes: the changes to practice

A7 is the V7 of D, which is why it sounds unfinished until D arrives. Practice each change slowly, four beats per chord, with the online metronome at 60 BPM.

Change Shapes What to listen for
A to A7 x02220 to x02020 Lift one finger, and the chord starts leaning forward.
A7 to D x02020 to xx0232 The tension resolves. This is the most common move A7 makes.
A7 to Dm x02020 to xx0231 Same pull, darker landing: A7 is also the V7 of D minor.
Em, A7, D 022000, x02020, xx0232 The ii V I of D major, the backbone of countless songs.
A7, D7, E7 x02020, xx0212, 020100 The three chords of a blues in A, all of them seventh chords.

A7 in a blues in A

In pop and folk, A7 is a passing chord that leads to D. In the blues it does something no textbook key allows: it is the home chord. A twelve bar blues in A uses A7, D7 and E7, and nobody expects the A7 to resolve. The seventh is simply part of the sound.

That is where x02023 earns its place. The G on the high E sits right on top, and it is the note you hear first. Alternate it with x02020 inside a shuffle and the chord starts to move on its own. The D7 and E7 pages show the other two chords of the progression in the same open position.

You may also see A7/G, written 302020: the same chord with the open G string replaced by G on the low E at fret 3, so the seventh becomes the bass note. It is a passing chord, used on the way from A7 down to D/F#, not a new way to play A7.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play an A7 chord on guitar?
Play x02020: first finger on the D string at fret 2, second finger on the B string at fret 2, and leave the A, G and high E strings open. Strum from the A string down and keep the low E quiet. That is the whole chord.
What notes are in an A7 chord?
Four: A, C#, E and G. A is the root, C# the major third, E the fifth and G the minor seventh. The G is what turns a plain A major into A7.
What is the difference between A and A7?
One note. A major is A, C# and E; A7 adds G. On the fretboard you go from x02220 to x02020 by lifting the finger off the G string. The chord stops sounding settled and starts leaning toward D.
What is the difference between A7 and Amaj7?
The seventh. A7 has G natural, a whole step below A, and sounds bluesy and restless. Amaj7 has G#, a half step below A, and sounds soft and dreamy. Same letters, very different jobs.
What chord comes after A7?
Most often D or D minor. A7 is the V7 of both keys, so it pulls toward D. In a blues in A it does not need to go anywhere: it is the home chord.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.