What notes are in an F7 chord?

F7 contains four notes: F (root), A (major third), C (perfect fifth), and E♭ (minor seventh — the "blue note").

How is F7 different from Fmaj7?

Only the seventh changes. F7 has E♭; Fmaj7 has E natural. F7 sounds bluesy and pulls toward B♭; Fmaj7 sits stably as a tonic.

Every blues in C uses F7 as the IV chord. Every B♭-major standard cadences through F7 → B♭maj7. Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 famously opens on F7 (as the V7 of B♭, a chromatic feint before the C-major home key arrives).

How do you play F7 on guitar?

Most commonly a 1st-fret E-shape barre with the 4th-string finger lifted. The partial voicing xx3211 (strings 6-5 muted, then F-A-Eb-C-F) works for many styles.

F dominant 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

F dominant 7 (F7) — F, A, C, E♭ — is F major with a minor 7th. The chord is the V7 of B♭ major, the IV7 of C blues, and the I7 of F blues. Most concert-band literature in B♭ uses F7 as the primary dominant; jazz blues in F builds on F7, B♭7, and C7.

Intervals

The F dominant 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

F→Amajor 3rd4 semitones
A→Cminor 3rd3 semitones
C→Ebminor 3rd3 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the F dominant 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the F dominant 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

1F
3A
5C
♭7Eb

Common mistakes

F7 has E♭ as its 7th — a half-step lower than Fmaj7 (which has E natural). The E♭ is the chord's "blue note." On guitar, F7 is most often a 1st-fret E-shape barre. The partial voicing (xx3211) avoids the full barre while capturing F, A, C, E♭ on the upper four strings.

In context

F7 is the V7 of B♭ major (F7 → B♭ is the cadence in B♭ blues and most B♭ band literature), the IV7 of C blues (in 12-bar C blues, F7 is the IV chord), and the I7 of F blues. In ii–V–I in B♭ major, the progression runs Cm7 → F7 → B♭maj7.

Drill it

The F dominant 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in an F7 chord?: F7 contains four notes: F (root), A (major third), C (perfect fifth), and E♭ (minor seventh — the "blue note").
How is F7 different from Fmaj7?: Only the seventh changes. F7 has E♭; Fmaj7 has E natural. F7 sounds bluesy and pulls toward B♭; Fmaj7 sits stably as a tonic.
What pieces use F7?: Every blues in C uses F7 as the IV chord. Every B♭-major standard cadences through F7 → B♭maj7. Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 famously opens on F7 (as the V7 of B♭, a chromatic feint before the C-major home key arrives).
How do you play F7 on guitar?: Most commonly a 1st-fret E-shape barre with the 4th-string finger lifted. The partial voicing xx3211 (strings 6-5 muted, then F-A-Eb-C-F) works for many styles.