F Dominant 7th
1st FretE-shape barre chord at fret 1 — the E7 open shape moved up one fret. Barre all six strings at fret 1; ring on A fret 3, middle on G fret 2. The standard F7 voicing most guitarists learn first.
F Dominant 7th
8th FretA-shape barre chord rooted on F at the 8th fret. Barre fret 8 with the index; ring on D fret 10, pinky on B fret 10. Mute the low E. A fully moveable dominant 7th voicing.
F Dominant 7th
11th FretDrop 2 voicing on the top four strings — root (F) on D fret 15, 3rd (A) on G fret 14, 5th (C) on B fret 13, ♭7th (E♭) on high e fret 11. An upper-register jazz comping shape.
F Dominant 7th
5th PositionCompact shell voicing on the inner four strings — 3rd (A) on D fret 7, ♭7th (E♭) on G fret 8, root (F) on B fret 6, 3rd (A) on high e fret 5. No barre — captures the tritone tension of F7 cleanly.
F Dominant 7th
3rd FretD7-shape moveable voicing — the open D7 chord slid up three frets. D string fret 3 (root), G fret 5 (5th), B fret 4 (♭7th), high e fret 5 (3rd). No barre required.
Tips for Playing the F7 Chord
Build from the F barre
If you know F major barre (E-shape at fret 1), F7 adds the middle finger back on G fret 2. Alternatively, think of the open E7 shape moved up one fret.
Practise the barre at fret 1
The barre at fret 1 is the hardest position on the neck. Keep your index finger close to the fret wire and squeeze firmly from the thumb.
F7 → B♭ is essential
The F7 → B♭ progression is a cornerstone of blues and jazz. In a 12-bar blues in F, F7 is the I chord, B♭7 the IV, and C7 the V.
Move the A-shape barre
The A-shape barre at fret 8 is fully moveable. Slide it one fret down for E7 or two frets up for G7.
Use the shell for fast comping
The x-x-7-8-6-5 shell voicing is ideal for fast jazz chord changes. The no-barre grip moves cleanly across the neck.
Dominant cycle practice
F7 → B♭7 → E♭7 → A♭7 → D♭7 → G♭7 → B7 → E7 → A7 → D7 → G7 → C7 is the full cycle of dominants. Each chord uses the same moveable E-shape or A-shape barre fingering.
About the F7 Chord on Guitar
The F7 chord is built from four notes: F (the root), A (the major 3rd), C (the perfect 5th), and E♭ (the minor 7th). It is the F major triad with an added flat 7th, creating the characteristic tritone tension between A and E♭ that defines dominant 7th chords. Because no standard open-string voicing exists for F7 in standard tuning, the E-shape barre at fret 1 is the most common starting point — the same fingering as the open E7 chord, moved up one fret. F7 resolves naturally to B♭ major, a key that appears constantly in jazz, brass arrangements, and funk. This page covers five voicings, from the standard E-shape barre to jazz Drop 2 and shell voicings. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound.
- 015 F7 chord shapes from intermediate to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04E-shape barre, A-shape barre, Drop 2, 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 F 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.