E Dominant 7th

Fretboard

About

The E7 dominant seventh (E–G♯–B–D) is the primary tension-bearing chord in tonal harmony. Its pull toward resolution comes from the tritone between G♯ and D — these two notes want to resolve inward, landing in the V–I cadence on A. The 3rd and ♭7 are essential: they form the tritone, and they distinguish a dominant 7 from a Em7. 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 EMaj7, dominant 7 is harmonically active and directional — it is a chord that moves.

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