A dominant seventh (A7) chord on banjo

The A dominant seventh chord (A7) is a dominant seventh chord (a major triad plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: A – C♯ – E – G.

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 5easy

Position 10easy

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the A7 chord sounds like

The dominant seventh sounds tense and wants to move on: the third and the minor seventh form a tritone that pulls towards the tonic. It is also the basic chord of the blues and early rock'n'roll.

Notes of the A7 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A	root
3	C♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	E	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	G	minor seventh (10 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (D): fret 5, little finger (G4)
String 2 (B): fret 2, ring finger (C♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 2, middle finger (A3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, index finger (E3)

Position 5, barre at fret 5

String 1 (D): fret 5, index finger (G4)
String 2 (B): fret 5, index finger (E4)
String 3 (G): fret 6, middle finger (C♯4)
String 4 (D): fret 7, ring finger (A3)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 5; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 10

String 1 (D): fret 11, ring finger (C♯5)
String 2 (B): fret 10, index finger (A4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 11, middle finger (C♯4)

Five-string banjo in open G tuning (g D G B D). The diagram shows the four long strings; the short 5th string (g) rings open – avoid it when G is not in the chord. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The A7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

D major: V7 (dominant)
D minor: V7 (dominant)
B minor: VII7

Similar chords and substitutes

If A7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

E♭7 – tritone substitute: the same third and seventh, swapped – a jazz favourite
C♯dim7 – diminished seventh on the third: a common stand-in for the dominant
A9 – a fuller dominant (with the ninth)
A7sus4 – suspended dominant, less tense
D – where it resolves (V → I)

Simpler versions

A – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

A9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A11 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes
A13 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A7 chord?

A, C♯, E, G. The root is A; the intervals of the other notes from the root: major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play A7 on banjo?

The easiest shape above is “Position 5”, rated easy. We show 3 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some A7 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (E) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the A7 chord written?

The chord symbol is A7, and its full name is A dominant seventh.