F seventh chord (F7)

F seventh is a 4-note dominant seventh chord: F – A – C – E♭. It sounds tense: it wants to resolve to another chord. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio.

NotesF – A – C – E♭
Formula1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7
SymbolF7 · Fdom7
TypeDominant seventh chord

F seventh on guitar

Barre at fret 1 (E shape)
Barre at fret 8 (A shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 1)

Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from the 6th to the 1st string.
Place finger 3 (ring) at fret 3 on the 5th string (A).
Finger 2 (middle) on fret 2 of the 3rd string (G).

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (F). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

F seventh on piano

In root position, play F – A – C – E♭ from bottom to top with fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 of your right hand. With your left hand you usually play just the root (F) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: A – C – E♭ – F
Second inversion: C – E♭ – F – A
Third inversion: E♭ – F – A – C

F seventh on ukulele

Open position
From fret 5

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of F seventh

F1 · root
A3 · major third
C5 · perfect fifth
E♭♭7 · minor seventh

It's the dominant chord (V7): it sets up the arrival at the tonic and is the foundation of blues, son and many song endings.

Progressions with F7

A dominant that resolves: V7 – I

F7 is the fifth degree of B♭ major: its tension wants to resolve to B♭.

The ii–V–I: ii7 – V7 – Imaj7

The most common cadence in jazz and bossa nova.

Which keys contain F seventh?

F7 belongs to 2 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
B♭ major	V7
G natural minor	VII7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the F seventh chord?

F seventh (F7) has 4 notes: F (root), A (major third), C (perfect fifth), E♭ (minor seventh).

How do you play F seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 1: 1 3 1 2 1 1 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from the 6th to the 1st string. Finger 3 (ring) on fret 3 of the 5th string (A). Finger 2 (middle) on fret 2 of the 3rd string (G).

What is the chord symbol for F seventh?

It is written F7; you may also see Fdom7. Letter notation uses C, D, E, F, G, A and B for the seven note names.

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