A Dominant 7th

Fretboard

About

The A7 dominant seventh (A–C♯–E–G) is the primary tension-bearing chord in tonal harmony. Its pull toward resolution comes from the tritone between C♯ and G — these two notes want to resolve inward, landing in the V–I cadence on D. The 3rd and ♭7 are essential: they form the tritone, and they distinguish a dominant 7 from a Am7. The fifth can be freely omitted without weakening the harmonic function. On guitar, shell voicings (1–3–♭7) are common in jazz; full voicings appear in blues and rhythm playing. Compared to AMaj7, dominant 7 is harmonically active and directional — it is a chord that moves.

Adjust labels, frets, and palette in the interactive view.