Dominant 7 chords
A dominant seventh chord has four notes: the root, major third, perfect fifth and minor seventh. Its formula is 1 3 5 b7. A major chord with a flat 7th added. It is the V7 chord of a major key, the chord that pulls hardest back home, and blues uses it on every degree.
On C it is written C7, and also Cdom7.
Dominant 7 chords in every key
| Chord | Notes | Shapes |
|---|---|---|
| C7 | C E G Bb | guitar · piano · bass |
| Db7 | Db F Ab Cb | guitar · piano · bass |
| D7 | D F# A C | guitar · piano · bass |
| Eb7 | Eb G Bb Db | guitar · piano · bass |
| E7 | E G# B D | guitar · piano · bass |
| F7 | F A C Eb | guitar · piano · bass |
| F#7 | F# A# C# E | guitar · piano · bass |
| G7 | G B D F | guitar · piano · bass |
| Ab7 | Ab C Eb Gb | guitar · piano · bass |
| A7 | A C# E G | guitar · piano · bass |
| Bb7 | Bb D F Ab | guitar · piano · bass |
| B7 | B D# F# A | guitar · piano · bass |
Dominant 7 compared
| Chord | Symbol | Formula | Notes | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominant 7 | C7 | 1 3 5 b7 | C E G Bb | |
| Major 7 | Cmaj7 | 1 3 5 7 | C E G B | Cmaj7 and C7 share C, E and G. Cmaj7 has B, the 7th, where C7 has Bb, the flat 7th. |
| Minor 7 | Cm7 | 1 b3 5 b7 | C Eb G Bb | Cm7 and C7 share C, G and Bb. Cm7 has Eb, the flat 3rd, where C7 has E, the 3rd. |
| Dominant 9 | C9 | 1 3 5 b7 9 | C E G Bb D | C9 is C7 (C, E, G and Bb) with D, the 9th, added. |
Questions
What is a dominant seventh chord?
A dominant seventh chord has four notes: the root, major third, perfect fifth and minor seventh. Its formula is 1 3 5 b7. A major chord with a flat 7th added. It is the V7 chord of a major key, the chord that pulls hardest back home, and blues uses it on every degree.
How do you write a dominant seventh chord?
On C it is written C7, and also Cdom7.
What is the difference between C7 and Cmaj7?
C7 and Cmaj7 share C, E and G. C7 has Bb, the flat 7th, where Cmaj7 has B, the 7th.