CHORDS – Dominant 7th chords
Blues music makes heavy use of dominant 7
th
chords, so you want to arm yourself with a
thorough knowledge of them. These chords are denoted by adding the superscript “7” after the
letter of the chord.Typically, the dominant 7
th
chord is built off the fifth or “dominant” degree of the major scale.
The dominant 7
th
chord is constructed from the scale degrees of root, 3
rd
, 5th, and b7
th. The
dominant 7
th
is so useful and popular because it is a major type chord with a very strong sound
and strong resolution qualities to the ear.
The dominant 7th is utilized in all genres of music, but is most commonly seen in blues and
jazz. The b7 is what gives the chord its color - making it sound twangy and bluesy compared to
the sweet and jazzy sounds of major seventh chords.Commit the following dominant seventh chords to memory and try to incorporate them into
your daily practice regimen. Some have various voicings that provide slightly different timbre.
You will be utilizing these chords often when playing blues.7th chords - (1, 3, 5,^ b7)
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A7
X 0 1 0 2 0
A7
X 0 1 2 3 4
B7X 2 1 3 0 4
C7X 3 2 4 1 0
D7
X X 0 2 1 3
G7
3 2 0 0 0 1
E7
0 2 0 1 0 0
E7
0 2 0 1 4 0
E7
0 2 3 1 4 0
6 th string root
7th bar chord1 3 1 2 1 1
5 th string root
7th bar chordX 1 3 1 3 1
Low LEGEND
High
E A D G B E1 st fret
2 nd fret
3rd fret
4th fretNut