Guitar chord · Sevenths
A dominant 7th chord on guitar
x02020 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play A7 on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Bluesy tension that pulls strongly toward the chord a 5th below.
A7 is the V7 chord in D major. In minor keys: V7 in D minor.
- Notes
- AC♯EG
- Formula
- 135♭7
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Open position
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): play open A
- 4th string (D): 2nd fret, index finger (1) E
- 3rd string (G): play open G
- 2nd string (B): 2nd fret, middle finger (2) C♯
- 1st string (high E): play open E
Tablature
e|--0---| B|--2---| G|--0---| D|--2---| A|--0---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every A7 note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing A7 on guitar
The open A shape with the G string left open for the 7th (x02020).
You’ll find A7 in common progressions such as A7–D7–E7 (the 12-bar blues in A major) and Em7–A7–Dmaj7 (the jazz cadence in D major).
Learning guitar? A7 is part of stage 6 (“A7, D7 and E7”) of our first guitar chords path.
