A7 chord on guitar

A7 is A, C♯, E and G. The easiest shape is x-0-2-0-2-0. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

x-0-2-0-2-0 · open · easy

Notes: A · C♯ · E · G
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
First shape: x-0-2-0-2-0

How to play A7 on guitar

Shape 1, x-0-2-0-2-0, reading from the low E string on the left:

E: index finger, 2nd fret of the D string.
C♯: middle finger, 2nd fret of the B string.
Leave the A, G and high E strings open: A, G and E.
Strum from the A string down; the low E string stays silent.

If an open string sounds dead, a fingertip is leaning on it. Come down more on the tips, with your knuckles bent.

Other ways to play A7

5-7-5-6-5-5: barre shape at the 5th fret, medium. Built on the E7 open shape with the barre as a movable nut; the root is on the 6th string.
x-12-14-12-14-12: barre shape at the 12th fret, medium. The root is on the A string; it's the A7 shape moved up the neck.
x-12-x-12-10-9: movable shape at the 9th fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.

A7 the capo way

A capo turns an open chord into A7: capo on the 2nd fret and play the open G7 shape (3-2-0-0-0-1), capo on the 5th fret and play the open E7 shape (0-2-0-1-0-0) or capo on the 7th fret and play the open D7 shape (x-x-0-2-1-2). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Changing from A7 to the chords around it

These are the changes you'll meet most often with A7, using the first shape of each chord.

D (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): A7 (x-0-2-0-2-0) to D (x-x-0-2-3-2): the index finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the middle finger slides across to the high E string at the same fret, the ring finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for A, which stays put while the rest moves. D on guitar
Dmaj7 (I in D major): A7 (x-0-2-0-2-0) to Dmaj7 (x-x-0-2-2-2): your middle finger stays put, the index finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the ring finger comes down on the high E string, 2nd fret. A and C♯ carry over from one chord to the other. Dmaj7 on guitar
Bm7 (vi in D major): A7 (x-0-2-0-2-0) to Bm7 (x-2-0-2-0-2): the index finger slides across to the A string at the same fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the ring finger comes down on the high E string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share A, which is why the change sounds smooth. Bm7 on guitar

A7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. Use A7 where you want motion: it leans toward the chord a fifth below and turns up on almost every blues. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

A short A7 drill

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: A, E, G, C♯, E. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 5-7-5-6-5-5 and back four times without looking at your hand.

Where A7 shows up

In A major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on guitar is A7 (x-0-2-0-2-0), D7 (x-x-0-2-1-2) and E7 (0-2-0-1-0-0). About the 12-bar blues.

In D major, ii–V–I on guitar is Em7 (0-2-0-0-0-0), A7 (x-0-2-0-2-0) and Dmaj7 (x-x-0-2-2-2). About the jazz cadence.

A7 on piano and ukulele

A7 on piano and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Related A chords on guitar

Other dominant seventh chords

A7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in A7 on guitar?

A, C♯, E and G. In the x-0-2-0-2-0 shape the strings play A (A string, open), E (D string), G (G string, open), C♯ (B string) and E (high E string, open), so E is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play A7 on guitar?

x-0-2-0-2-0, the shape at the top of this page. Open strings do part of the work, so no barre.

Is A7 a barre chord on guitar?

Not in its common form: x-0-2-0-2-0 needs no barre. The barre versions come later, higher on the neck.

Which string does A7 start on?

In the x-0-2-0-2-0 shape the lowest string you play is the A string, open, which is A, the root. Skip the low E string.

Every shape above plays only A, C♯, E and G, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.