E Dominant 7th
Open PositionThe classic open E7 — middle finger on A fret 2, index on G fret 1, all other strings open. Just two fingers and four open strings. One of the most natural and resonant dominant 7th voicings on guitar.
E Dominant 7th
7th FretA-shape barre chord rooted on E at the 7th fret. Barre fret 7 with the index; ring on D fret 9, pinky on B fret 9. Mute the low E. A fully moveable dominant 7th voicing.
E Dominant 7th
12th FretE-shape barre chord at the 12th fret — the open E7 shape moved up one octave. Full six-string voicing: index barres all strings at fret 12, ring on A fret 14, middle on G fret 13.
E Dominant 7th
4th PositionCompact shell voicing on the inner four strings — 3rd (G#) on D fret 6, ♭7th (D) on G fret 7, root (E) on B fret 5, 3rd (G#) on high e fret 4. No barre — captures the tritone tension of E7 cleanly.
E Dominant 7th
2nd FretD7-shape moveable voicing — the open D7 chord slid up two frets. D string fret 2 (root), G fret 4 (5th), B fret 3 (♭7th), high e fret 4 (3rd). No barre required.
Tips for Playing the E7 Chord
Build from E major
If you know open E major (0-2-2-1-0-0), just lift your ring finger off the D string. The open D string becomes the ♭7th, turning E major into E7 instantly.
Strum all six strings
Unlike many open chords, the open E7 is a full six-string chord — strum from the low E string for maximum resonance.
E7 → A is everywhere
The E7 → A progression appears constantly in folk, country, blues, and rock. E7 creates strong pull that resolves to A major.
Move the A-shape barre
The A-shape barre at fret 7 is fully moveable — slide it one fret down for D#7 or one fret up for F7.
Blues in E
In a 12-bar blues in E, the three chords are E7, A7, and B7. The open E7 gives this the authentic blues sound with minimal effort.
Shell voicing for jazz
The x-x-6-7-5-4 shell voicing is clean for jazz comping at the 4th position. The ascending finger pattern (index on e, middle on B, ring on D, pinky on G) is easily transposed.
About the E7 Chord on Guitar
The E7 chord is built from four notes: E (the root), G# (the major 3rd), B (the perfect 5th), and D (the minor 7th). It is the E major triad with an added flat 7th — and one of the most naturally playable dominant 7th chords on guitar thanks to its simple open voicing. The tritone tension between G# and D resolves powerfully to A major, making E7 one of the most-used chords in blues, folk, country, and rock. The open E7 requires just two fingers, making it one of the most beginner-friendly chords on the instrument. In jazz, E7 functions as the V chord in A major and travels through the dominant cycle. This page covers five voicings, from the familiar open E7 to barre and jazz shell shapes. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound.
- 015 E7 chord shapes from beginner to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Open position, A-shape barre, E-shape barre, shell voicing, and D7-shape moveable form
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the E Dominant 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every dominant 7th chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.