E7 Guitar Chord

There are several positions on the fretboard in which you can play the E7 guitar chord. This lesson will chart them out for you and give you some chord progression ideas that use this chord.

First, a little theory...

The full name of the E7 chord is E dominant 7th. Dominant 7th refers to the flat 7th (b7) tone added to the basic E major triad. This means we have a four note chord made up of the Root (E), 3rd (Ab), 5th (B) and flat 7th (D).

Musicians see the dominant 7th chord as an extension of the basic major triad, giving it more depth and colour. So, when you're playing a chord progression that involves E major, try using one of the E7 forms below to spice it up a bit. It won't always work, but experimenting is the key thing.

E7 guitar chord chart

Here are some examples of the different positions in which E7 can be played on guitar. Learning them all ensures you have access to this chord no matter where you are on the fretboard. It also means you have several voicing options which is important for variation.


	Fret 7
Fret 7	Fret 7
Fret 11	Fret 9

Remember, the low E string can provide you with an additional E bass note on any of these chord shapes. There's also the high E string which can provide an additional E note if you need to thicken up the chord.

Using the E7 chord in progressions

Below are some examples of chord progressions that use the E7 chord. Try expanding on these progressions and come up with your own.

Bm / E7 / A / F#m

D / E7 / G / A

F / E7 / Am / G

E7 / A / D / C#

Am / E7 / F / C

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