Guitar chord · Sevenths
B dominant 7th chord on guitar
x21202 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play B7 on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Bluesy tension that pulls strongly toward the chord a 5th below.
B7 is the V7 chord in E major. In minor keys: V7 in E minor.
- Notes
- BD♯F♯A
- 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): 2nd fret, middle finger (2) B
- 4th string (D): 1st fret, index finger (1) D♯
- 3rd string (G): 2nd fret, ring finger (3) A
- 2nd string (B): play open B
- 1st string (high E): 2nd fret, pinky finger (4) F♯
Tablature
e|--2---| B|--0---| G|--2---| D|--1---| A|--2---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every B7 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 B7 on guitar
x21202 uses four fingers with the open B string in the middle. Keep the fingers arched so that open string rings.
You’ll find B7 in common progressions such as B7–E7–F♯7 (the 12-bar blues in B major) and F♯m7–B7–Emaj7 (the jazz cadence in E major).
