Sevenths
G dominant 7th chord
Bluesy tension that pulls strongly toward the chord a 5th below.
G7 is the V7 chord in C major. In minor keys: V7 in C minor.
- Notes
- GBDF
- Formula
- 135♭7
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th
How to play G7
About the G dominant 7th chord
G7 is the V7 of C major — the classic “go home” chord that makes C sound finished.
Playing it
On guitar, G7 has an open-position shape, 320001, using three fingers alongside the open strings.
On piano, G7 sits entirely on white keys.
On ukulele the usual G7 shape is 0212, using three fingers.
Related chords
Take away the root and the other three notes form Bdim (B D F) — so you can think of G7 as Bdim with G added underneath.
Move a single note and G7 becomes a different chord: drop the F for G, raise F to F♯ for Gmaj7, lower B to B♭ for Gm7 and lower F to E for G6.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find G7 in common progressions such as G7–C7–D7 (the 12-bar blues in G major) and Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 (the jazz cadence in C major).
