F Dominant 7th

F7

Notes

F · A · C · Eb

Intervals

  • RootF (1P)
  • Major 3rdA (3M)
  • Perfect 5thC (5P)
  • Minor 7thEb (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912FACEbCEbFAACEbFEbFACACEbFAFACEb

About

The F7 dominant seventh (FACE♭) is the primary tension-bearing chord in tonal harmony. Its pull toward resolution comes from the tritone between A and E♭ — these two notes want to resolve inward, landing in the V–I cadence on B♭. The 3rd and ♭7 are essential: they form the tritone, and they distinguish a dominant 7 from a Fm7. 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 FMaj7, dominant 7 is harmonically active and directional — it is a chord that moves.

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