Ways to play F7
Lowest on the neck first. Tap a shape to put it on the fretboard above and hear it. The numbers are fingers (1 is your index), × means leave that string out, and ○ means let it ring open.
What's in F7
A dominant 7th is a major triad plus a flat 7th, the note a whole step below the root. F7 is F, A, C, E♭. The 3rd (A) and ♭7 (E♭) are a tritone apart, and that tension is what makes the chord want to move.
| Note | Formula | Interval from F |
|---|---|---|
| F | 1 | Root |
| A | 3 | Major 3rd |
| C | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| E♭ | ♭7 | Minor 7th |
On its own it sounds unfinished, so in most music it is the V chord that leads home: F7 to B♭. Blues is the exception. There every chord can be a dominant 7th and nothing has to resolve.
Keys that use F7
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of F, A, C and E♭, and the chord's Roman numeral in each. Minor keys marked harmonic get the chord from the raised 7th of the harmonic minor scale.
| Key | F7 is the |
|---|---|
| B♭ major | V7 |
| B♭ minor (harmonic) | V7 |
| G minor | VII7 |
Progressions to try
V7–I in B♭ major
What a dominant 7th is for: the ♭7 and 3rd pull hard toward the chord a fourth up.
Related chords
Other chords on F: