The difference between a “correct” chord and a “beautiful” chord is often just one note. If your progressions sound fine but not rich, 7th chords are the fastest upgrade.
They show up everywhere, blues, jazz, folk, R&B, pop. And once you know a few core shapes, you can instantly make basic progressions sound more musical.
In this lesson you’ll learn:
- The 3 most useful 7th chord types: Major 7, Dominant 7, and Minor 7
- Easy guitar shapes for each chord
- Movable shapes so you can play 7th chords in any key
- Progression examples with audio, so you can hear how they work in real music
Grab your guitar and let’s get started.
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What is a 7th chord?
A 7th chord is a chord with four chord tones instead of three.
- Triad chords use: 1, 3, 5
- 7th chords add the 7th so you get: 1, 3, 5, 7
That extra note is what gives 7th chords their smoother, deeper sound.
7th chord theory (simple formulas)
Major 7 chord formula
Major 7 chord uses: 1, 3, 5, 7
Here are some Major 7 chord examples and what notes they include:
- C Major 7 has the notes C, E, G, and B.
- E Major 7 has the notes E, G#, B, and D#.
- G Major 7 has the notes G, B, D, and F#.
(See the distance between each of the chord tones in steps below.)
Quick note on intervals:
A half step is one fret away from a starting note.
A whole step is two frets away from a starting note.
As a side note, another chord that is closely related to the Major 7 is the Major 6 chord which has the chord tones 1, 3, 5, and 6. See this other lesson on how to play Major 6 chords on guitar.
Dominant 7 chord formula
Dominant 7 chord is like Major 7, but the 7 is lowered: 1, 3, 5, b7
The little ‘b’ represents that a note is flattened or lowered by a half step.
Dominant chords are written with just a 7 next to the root note such as G 7, B 7, or D 7.
Here are Dominant 7 chord examples and what notes they include:
- C 7 has the notes C, E, G, and Bb.
- E 7 has the notes E, G#, B, and D.
- G 7 has the notes G, B, D, and F.
Minor 7 chord formula
Minor 7 chord lowers the 3rd and the 7th a half step below like this: 1, b3, 5, b7
Minor 7 examples:
- C minor 7 has the notes C, Eb, G, and Bb.
- E minor 7 has the notes E, G, B, and D.
- G minor 7 has the notes G, Bb, D, and F.
How to read the guitar chord charts
For the charts below:
- The lowest horizontal line represents the thickest string (Low E). The top horizontal line represents the thinnest string (high E).
- The vertical lines represent the frets on the guitar (thin metal lines on your guitar fretboard)
- The numbers inside the circles tell you what fingers to use to press down on your fretting hand (see the fingering chart in the following section)
Take a look at the image below to better understand the chord charts in this lesson.
Major 7th chords
Now, let’s start playing them. These are just some common ways to play each chord. Use the link under each chart to see alternate options.
C Major 7
7 ways to play a C Major 7 chord on guitar
D Major 7
8 ways to play a D Major 7 chord on guitar
E Major 7
8 ways to play an E Major 7 chord on guitar
F Major 7
8 ways to play an F Major 7 chord on guitar
G Major 7
8 ways to play a G Major 7 chord on guitar
A Major 7
8 ways to play an A Major 7 chord on guitar
B Major 7
Note that the note on the 1st string in parenthesis is optional which means you don’t necessarily have to barre this chord if you aren’t able to yet.
If needed, see this lesson on how to get better at barre chords.
7 ways to play a B Major 7 chord on guitar
Dominant 7th chords
C 7
7 ways to play a C 7 chord on guitar
D 7
7 ways to play a D 7 chord on guitar
E 7
11 ways to play an E 7 chord on guitar
F 7
10 ways to play an F 7 chord on guitar
G 7
10 ways to play a G 7 chord on guitar
A 7
9 ways to play an A 7 chord on guitar
B 7
7 ways to play a B 7 chord on guitar
Easily look up guitar chords with the Essential Guitar Chords Chart!
This chart covers how to play:
- Major chords
- Minor chords
- Major 7 chords
- Minor 7 chords
- Dominant chords
- Half diminished chords
- Diminished chords
- Chords starting on all (12) root notes
- Over 80+ chords!
Minor 7th chords
C minor 7
8 ways to play a C minor 7 chord on guitar
D minor 7
8 ways to play a D minor 7 chord on guitar
E minor 7
11 ways to play an E minor 7 chord on guitar
F minor 7
8 ways to play an F minor 7 chord on guitar
G minor 7
8 ways to play a G minor 7 chord on guitar
A minor 7
11 ways to play an A minor 7 chord on guitar
B minor 7
8 ways to play a B minor 7 chord on guitar
Movable 7th chords
If you want to play 7th chords in any key (including sharps and flats), use the movable shapes shown in this next section.
How to implement:
- In these shapes, the lowest note is your root
- Slide the entire shape to a new fret to change keys
- If you need help finding root notes, learn the notes on the fretboard first
Movable 7th chords starting on the 6th string
The numbers on the right show the chord tones. Notes in parentheses are optional.
Example: If your root is A, place the lowest note on the 6th string, 5th fret.
Movable 7th chords starting on the 5th string
Example: If your root is D, place the lowest note on the 5th string, 5th fret.
Movable 7th chords starting on the 4th string
Example: If your root is G, place the lowest note on the 4th string, 5th fret.
Chords progression examples using 7th chords
Use any rhythm or strumming pattern you like for these examples. The goal is to hear how these chords sound in a real sequence. Each example includes an audio clip.
7th chord progression example 1
Click the chords with links to learn other ways of playing that chord. Progression 1 chords are D minor 7, G 7, C Major 7, and F Major 7.
7th chord progression example 2
Progression 2 chords are A Major 7, F# minor 7, E minor 7, and D Major 7.
7th chord progression example 3
Progression 3 chords are F Major 7, E 7, A minor 7, and C 7.
Want more progression examples you can play along with? Get the bonus progressions below inside Pro Membership. ✨
Other 7th chords: Diminished chords
Two useful 7th chord types we didn’t cover here that have their unique sound and function:
• Minor 7 b5 (half diminished)
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Wrapping up
Once these shapes are under your fingers, you’ll start hearing easy upgrades everywhere. For example, you can:
- Substitute a basic chord with a 7th chord for a richer sound
- Build smoother progressions
- Get comfortable moving chords around the neck
Want to be able to improvise over 7th chords? Your next step is learning arpeggios which highlight the defining notes inside each chord:
As you review these chords, you’ll get more comfortable using them in progressions and swapping them in for the chords you already know. Over time, you’ll expand your palette of sounds so you can learn more songs and create your music with more depth.
Learning your 7th chords also gives you a solid foundation to be able to build extended chords on guitar.
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