Dominant 7th chord · G root
G7 chord
- G1
- B3
- D5
- F♭7
The G dominant 7th chord is built from the notes G, B, D, F. It turns up 33 times in the 80 songs on this site, including All of Me and Amazing Grace.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the G7 chord?
The G7 chord (G dominant 7th) is a dominant 7th chord built from four notes: G, B, D, F — the 1–3–5–♭7 of the G scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones and 10 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (3-2-0-0-0-1) with 3 fingers while 3 strings ring open. It is rated beginner — most players learn it in their first weeks. A tense, bluesy chord that wants to resolve down a fifth. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, G7 appears 33 times in 13 songs, most often in the keys of C and F, and the chord it most often moves to is C. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 4 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the G7 chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of G7 on the guitar.
- Press the low E string at fret 3 with your ring finger.
- Press the A string at fret 2 with your middle finger.
- Press the high E string at fret 1 with your index finger.
- Strum all six strings and let every one ring.
If it buzzes, the usual cause is a fingertip sitting in the middle of the fret space instead of just behind the wire. Move the whole hand a few millimetres toward the bridge and the buzz usually disappears without any extra pressure. 3-2-0-0-0-1
How do you make G7 sound clean?
Confusing G7 with Gmaj7 shapes — the difference is one fret on the high E and a completely different function. G7 wants to resolve to C.
G7 → C until the resolution is automatic. Then do it with your eyes closed.
In real songs
What songs use the G7 chord?
- chord changes
- 33
- songs
- 13
- common keys
- C · F
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, G7 appears 33 times in 13 songs — most often in the keys of C and F.
All 13 songs that use G7— key, capo and a link to every sheet
| Song | Artist | Key | Capo |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Me | Jazz Standard | C | — |
| Amazing Grace | Traditional | G | — |
| Bye Bye Blackbird | Jazz Standard | F | — |
| Fly Me to the Moon | Bart Howard | C | — |
| Georgia on My Mind | Ray Charles | C | — |
| Imagine | John Lennon | C | — |
| Jackson | Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash | Db | 1 |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | Bb | 3 |
| My Funny Valentine | Richard Rodgers | Cm | — |
| Sloop John B | The Beach Boys | Ab | 1 |
| Take It Easy | Eagles | G | — |
| The Boxer | Simon & Garfunkel | C | — |
| You Are My Sunshine | Traditional | C | — |
Chord flow
What chord comes after G7?
Those figures are counted from the 80 chord sheets on this site, so they describe what songwriters actually played rather than what theory says should come next.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play G7 up the neck?
3 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 3 barre
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
A single bar covers the rest of the strings here. If the inside strings stay dead, move the bar a millimetre closer to the fret wire before you try pressing harder.
Position 3 · Fret 5
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
At fret 5 the neck is still wide enough to keep your thumb behind it, which gives the fingers more reach than a thumb-over grip.
Position 4 · Fret 10 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
Watch the G7 chord
Video: JustinGuitar on YouTube — embedded with the official player; credit and views belong to the creator.
The theory behind G7
G7 is spelled G – B – D – F — the 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 of the G scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones, 10 semitones. A tense, bluesy chord that wants to resolve down a fifth.
The flat seventh is a whole tone below the octave, and it is the note that creates the pull toward the chord a fifth below G7. Mute that note by accident and the chord turns into a plain major triad.
What key is the G7 chord in?
G7 is the V7 in the key of C — in both C major and C minor — which is exactly why it resolves to C.
the dominant — the flat seventh is what pulls it home
the same dominant job in the minor key
G7 on other instruments
0 2 1 2
The same chord on four strings in standard tuning. Because the uke is tuned higher, this shape sits at a different place on the neck than its guitar equivalent — useful when arranging for both instruments.
G – B – D – F — all white keys, so you can find the shape by counting up from C.
Take it to the practice room
