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The E7 chord (E dominant seventh) on guitar

E7 is the E major chord with a D added, and in open position that D comes for free: lift one finger from E and the open fourth string plays it. The result is the most guitar friendly seventh chord there is, and one of the most useful. It is the V7 that pulls a song back to A or A minor, and it is the home chord of the blues in E.

E7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: E dominant seventh
  • Symbol: E7
  • Notes: E, G#, B, D
  • Where it belongs: V7 in A major, V7 in A 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
E7, open 020100 E B D G# B E Two fingers, six strings. The open D string is the seventh. The one to learn first.
E7, D on top 022130 E B E G# D E Full E major plus D on the second string. The seventh is louder and the chord sounds bluesier.
E7, top four strings xx2434 E B D G# No open strings, so you can cut it short for a choppy blues or funk rhythm.
E7, seventh fret x79797 E B D G# B The A7 shape barred at fret 7. Movable: slide it to play any dominant seventh.
E7, open 0 2 0 1 0 0 · 2 · 1 · · fingers
E7, D on top 0 2 2 1 3 0 · 2 3 1 4 · fingers
E7, top four strings x x 2 4 3 4 · · 1 3 2 4 fingers
E7, seventh fret x 7 9 7 9 7 · 1 3 1 4 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.

E7 on the neck: every E, G#, B, D

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of E7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still E7.

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 E7, from E

  1. Play E major, 022100: second finger on the fifth string at fret 2, third finger on the fourth string at fret 2, first finger on the third string at fret 1.
  2. Lift the third finger. The fourth string now rings open: D, the seventh. That is 020100, the open E7.
  3. Strum all six strings and pick them one by one, low to high: E, B, D, G#, B, E. The two notes to check are the open D and the G# under the first finger.
For a stronger seventh, keep the full E and add the fourth finger on the second string at fret 3: 022130. Or combine the two ideas, 020130, with D both on the open fourth string and on the second string. All three are E7; they only place the D differently.

Where E7 wants to go

E7 is a dominant seventh: it sounds unfinished on purpose. Two of its notes lean toward the next chord. G# rises a half step to A. D falls to C# if the next chord is A, or to C if it is A minor.

Change Shapes Key
E7 to A 020100 to x02220 V7 to I in A major
E7 to Am 020100 to x02210 V7 to i in A minor
Am, Dm, E7, Am x02210, xx0231, 020100, x02210 i, iv, V7, i in A minor

In A minor, E7 is often stronger than Em: Em has G, E7 has G#, and G# is the note that leads the ear home to A. Compare it with the Em7 chord, which keeps the D but loses that pull.

The 12 bar blues in E

E is the natural blues key on guitar, because the open low E holds the whole thing up. Three seventh chords, twelve bars:

Bars Chords
1 to 4 E7, E7, E7, E7
5 to 8 A7, A7, E7, E7
9 to 12 B7, A7, E7, B7

Shapes: E7 020100, A7 x02020, B7 x21202. The B7 in the last bar is the turnaround: it sends the form back to bar 1. Set the online metronome to 60 BPM, play four strums per bar, and go around until the changes stop being an event.

E7 and its relatives

Chord Notes Sound
E7 E, G#, B, D Dominant, bluesy
Emaj7 E, G#, B, D# Soft, major
Em7 E, G, B, D Minor, open
E9 E, G#, B, D, F# E7 with a ninth: funk and soul
E6 E, G#, B, C# Settled, not a dominant

The movable shape x79797 is the open A7 (x02020) moved up seven frets, with the first finger barring fret 7. Slide it and the same grip gives every dominant seventh with a fifth string root; the barre chords page shows the idea for every shape.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play E7 on guitar?
Play 020100: second finger on the fifth string (A) at fret 2, first finger on the third string (G) at fret 1, and strum all six strings. It is E major with the third finger lifted off, so the open D string sounds the seventh.
What notes are in an E7 chord?
Four: E, G#, B and D. E major (E, G#, B) plus D, the minor seventh. G# makes it major; D gives it the pull of a dominant chord.
Where does E7 resolve?
To A or to A minor. E7 is the V7 chord in both keys: its G# wants to rise to A, its D wants to fall to C# (in A) or C (in A minor). Play 020100 then x02220 or x02210 and you hear it settle.
What is the difference between E7 and Emaj7?
The seventh. E7 has D, Emaj7 has D#. E7 sounds tense and bluesy and wants to move; Emaj7 sounds soft and can stay put. Writing just "E7" always means the dominant chord with D.
Is E7 easier than E?
Yes, by one finger. The open E7 is E major without the third finger. That makes it one of the first seventh chords most players learn, and a good way into the blues.
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.