Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
G dominant 7 guitar chord (G7)
Place finger 3 on the 3rd fret of the low E, finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the A, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the high e. Strum all six strings.
G – B – D – F
Loop strum: down, down-up, up-down-up on 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
Next moves
3 fingers, 6 strings, chart notation 320001. Tap the chord box to hear it strummed, then play it string by string to check every note is ringing cleanly.
How to play G7
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — 1st fret, high E string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 2nd fret, A string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 3rd fret, low E string
- Play open: D (4th), G (3rd) and B (2nd) — strum them without fretting anything.
- Strum all six strings. Nothing is muted in this shape, so the chord should ring from the low E right through to the high E.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | 3rd fret | 3 (ring) | G |
| 5th — A | 2nd fret | 2 (middle) | B |
| 4th — D | Open | — | D |
| 3rd — G | Open | — | G |
| 2nd — B | Open | — | B |
| 1st — high E | 1st fret | 1 (index) | F |
Notes and intervals in G7
G7 is built from 4 notes: G, B, D and F.
- G — the root
- B — the major 3rd
- D — the perfect 5th
- F — the flat 7th
Across the six strings the shape sounds G · B · D · G · B · F from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What G7 is used for
G7 is the V7 that pulls back to C, and the most used dominant 7th in beginner repertoire. It is the G shape with the top note dropped from the 3rd fret to the 1st, putting an F on the high E string — and that F is a semitone above the E in the C chord, which is exactly why the resolution feels so strong.
Common mistakes with G7
- Playing the top note at the 3rd fret, which is just G. In G7 the high E string moves down to the 1st fret.
- The ring and middle fingers flattening onto the open D, G and B strings — all three have to ring through.
- Sitting on it. G7 is a traveling chord: hold it a beat or two and move to C.
A first strum pattern
Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” — eighth notes (quavers). Strum down, down-up, up-down-up: down on 1, down on 2, up on the “&” of 2, up on the “&” of 3, down on 4, up on the “&” of 4. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time, and only touch the strings on the marked counts.
Start the strum loop above at 60–70 BPM and change chords on beat 1.
G dominant 7 FAQ
How do you play G dominant 7 on guitar?
Place finger 3 on the 3rd fret of the low E, finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the A, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the high e. Strum all six strings. In chart notation it is 320001, low E string first.
What notes are in G dominant 7?
G, B, D and F: the root, the major 3rd, the perfect 5th and the flat 7th.
What chord comes after G dominant 7?
Common changes from G dominant 7: C add9 and D suspended 4th. Practice the switch slowly with the strum loop, then speed it up.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.