F7 chord
F7 is F, A, C and E♭: 1–3–5–♭7 built on F. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
1-3-1-2-1-1 · barre · hard
- Notes
- F · A · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 1-3-1-2-1-1
F7 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · F–A–C–E♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- F · A · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
F7 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
2-3-1-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- F · A · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 2-3-1-3
F7 and the chords around it
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- F7 → B♭ (the V7 pulls home a fifth below)
Guitar: F7 (1-3-1-2-1-1) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared note: F.
Piano: F7 to B♭: play B♭ in 2nd inversion (F–B♭–D) and F stays under the same finger, while A moves up to B♭ and E♭ down to D. B♭ - F7 → B♭maj7 (I in B♭ major)
Guitar: F7 (1-3-1-2-1-1) to B♭maj7 (x-1-3-2-3-1): your middle finger stays put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the ring finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. Shared notes: F and A.
Piano: F7 to B♭maj7: play B♭maj7 in 2nd inversion (F–A–B♭–D) and F and A stay under the same fingers, while C moves down to B♭ and E♭ down to D. B♭maj7 - F7 → Gm7 (vi in B♭ major)
Guitar: F7 (1-3-1-2-1-1) to Gm7 (3-5-3-3-3-3): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 3rd fret, your middle finger lands on the A string, 5th fret. The two chords share F, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: F7 to Gm7: play Gm7 in 3rd inversion (F–G–B♭–D) and F stays under the same finger, while A moves down to G, C down to B♭ and E♭ down to D. Gm7
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, E7 shape; capo 3, D7 shape; capo 5, C7 shape; capo 6, B7 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, E7 shape; capo 3, D7 shape; capo 5, C7 shape; capo 6, B7 shape.
How F7 is built
F7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. It sounds restless and wants to move, most strongly to B♭, the chord a fifth below. It is also the backbone of the blues, where every chord can be a seventh.
From F, go 4 half steps up to A, 3 half steps up to C then 3 half steps up to E♭.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | root | 0 | |
| A | major third | 4 | |
| C | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| E♭ | minor seventh | 10 |
Keys and progressions with F7
In major keys, F7 is V7 in B♭ major. In minor keys it is V7 in B♭ minor (borrowing the raised 7th) and VII7 in G minor.
I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) in F major runs F7 – F7 – F7 – F7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – F7 – F7 – C7 – B♭7 – F7 – C7. the 12-bar blues
Play ii–V–I in B♭ major and you get Cm7 – F7 – B♭maj7. the jazz cadence
Chords close to F7
- F7 is F plus E♭. F
- F7 and Fmaj7 differ by one note: E♭ in F7, E in Fmaj7. They share F, A and C. Fmaj7
Chords that share most of their notes with F7: F9, F, Adim, Cm6, Cdim7, Dm7.
Every F chord
F7 chord: questions
What notes are in the F7 chord?
F, A, C and E♭. F7 is built 1–3–5–♭7 from F: A is the major third, C is the perfect fifth and E♭ is the minor seventh.
How do you play F7 on guitar?
The usual shape is 1-3-1-2-1-1 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play F7 on piano?
Play F, A, C and E♭ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. F sits just left of the group of three black keys. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play F7 on ukulele?
2-3-1-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is F7 in?
In major keys, F7 is V7 in B♭ major. In minor keys it is V7 in B♭ minor (borrowing the raised 7th) and VII7 in G minor.
What's the difference between F7 and F?
F7 is F plus E♭.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.