As the VD major
- ii7Em7
- V7A7
- Imaj7Dmaj7
A7 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
A7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A7 chord is a dominant seventh chord built on the root note A. Its notes are A, C♯, E and G.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant seventh chords sound tense and bluesy. The minor seventh on top of a major triad creates a pull toward a resolution, which is why this chord powers the blues and drives cadences in jazz and pop.
- Notes
- A · C♯ · E · G
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10
- Note
- A
- Quality
- Dominant 7
- Symbol
- A7
A7 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A7 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A, index finger on C♯, middle finger on E and little finger on G. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard C♯ is a black key and A, E and G are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A1
- C♯3
- E5
- G♭7
A7 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. Strings 5, 3 and 1 ring open. Don't play string 6.
A · C♯ · E · G
Try A7 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
A7 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | C♯(C#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | G |
How to use the A7 chord
The A7 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root A and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A, C♯, E and G. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Blues, jazz, funk and rock'n'roll all run on dominant seventh chords. They typically act as the V7 resolving back to the tonic, or carry a twelve-bar blues from end to end.
In major keys A7 is the V7 in D major; in minor keys it's the V7 in D minor and the VII7 in B minor. As the V7 of D minor it takes its third, C♯, from the harmonic minor scale: the key's seventh degree, raised a half step.
How A7 differs from similar chords
A7 and Amaj7 look alike on paper and sound opposite: the seventh of A7 is a whole step below the octave, the seventh of Amaj7 only a half step. That minor seventh forms a tritone with the major third, the interval that makes A7 want to move on. Amaj7 has no tritone, so it can rest.
Songs that use the A7 chord
These well-known tracks all play the A7 chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.
- 1CrossroadsRobert Johnson / Cream
- 2Pride and JoyStevie Ray Vaughan
- 3The Thrill is GoneB.B. King
- 4Sweet Home ChicagoRobert Johnson
- 5Kansas CityLittle Richard
Where A7 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
As the I of a bluesA major
The twelve-bar shape boiled down. The tonic is itself a dominant seventh, which is what makes it a blues.
As the V of a turnaroundD major
The turnaround at the end of a chorus: A7 is the chord that sends it round again.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A7 chord?
- The A7 chord contains A, C♯, E and G (A, C#, E and G in plain text).
- Is the A7 chord major or minor?
- A7 is a dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh chords sound tense and bluesy. The minor seventh on top of a major triad creates a pull toward a resolution, which is why this chord powers the blues and drives cadences in jazz and pop.
- What key is the A7 chord in?
- In major keys A7 is the V7 in D major; in minor keys it's the V7 in D minor and the VII7 in B minor. As the V7 of D minor it takes its third, C♯, from the harmonic minor scale: the key's seventh degree, raised a half step.
- How do you play A7 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A, C♯, E and G and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard C♯ is a black key and A, E and G are white.
- How do you play A7 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. Strings 5, 3 and 1 ring open. Don't play string 6.
- What chords work well with A7?
- A7 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.