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Piano chord · Dominant 7th

A dominant 7th piano chord (A7)

A dominant 7th is A – C♯ – E – G. Right hand fingers 1-2-3-5.

Root position
A7A dominant 7th

A – C♯ – E – G

Built from the root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th. Keys show right-hand fingers: 1 = thumb.

A dominant 7th in root position on the treble staff
A dominant 7th in root position on the treble staff
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RelatedD majorD – F♯ – AScaleD major scaleA7 is the V7 of D major: it leads home to D.PracticePractice A7Random prompts until the shape is automaticToolChord identifierPress keys and find out what you playedOn guitarA7 guitar chordThe same chord as a guitar shapeAll chordsAll 43 piano chordsThe full major, minor and 7th chartPrintPiano chord chart PDFAll 43 chords, free

A, C♯, E and G, played together. Root position is lit on the keyboard above — press Play chord to hear it, or switch to an inversion.

Notes in A7: A, C♯, E and G

NoteInterval from the rootKey around middle C
ARootA4 · white key
C♯Major 3rdC♯5 · black key
EPerfect 5thE5 · white key
GMinor 7thG5 · white key
  • Chord symbol: A7 — A dominant 7th
  • Formula: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th (0 · 4 · 7 · 10 half steps (semitones) from the root)
  • Right hand fingering: 1-2-3-5 — thumb, index, middle and little finger
  • Left hand fingering: 5-3-2-1, little finger on the root

How A7 works

A7 is the dominant of D, and in the blues it doubles as the home chord of a blues in A. The seventh, G, is the white key immediately below the root, which is why the whole shape sits so compactly under the hand.

A7 inversions

An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then three inversions.

  • Root position

    A–C♯–E–G — the root, A, is at the bottom.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

  • 1st inversion — C♯ in the bass

    C♯–E–G–A — the same four notes, reordered so C♯ is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

  • 2nd inversion — E in the bass

    E–G–A–C♯ — the same four notes, reordered so E is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

  • 3rd inversion — G in the bass

    G–A–C♯–E — the same four notes, reordered so G is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-3-5Left hand5-3-2-1

PositionNotes, lowest firstRight handLeft hand
Root positionA – C♯ – E – G1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1
1st inversionC♯ – E – G – A1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1
2nd inversionE – G – A – C♯1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1
3rd inversionG – A – C♯ – E1 – 2 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 2 – 1

1 = thumb, 5 = little finger. Notes listed from the lowest key up.

Common mistakes on A7

  • Playing G♯ instead of G, which makes Amaj7.
  • Playing C natural, which produces Am7 rather than A7.
  • Letting finger 5 collapse on G so the seventh — the note that defines the chord — is the quietest.

A dominant 7th FAQ

What notes are in A dominant 7th?

A, C♯, E and G: the root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th.

What fingers do I use for A dominant 7th?

In root position, right hand 1-2-3-5 and left hand 5-3-2-1 (1 = thumb, 5 = little finger). 1st inversion: right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1; 2nd inversion: right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1; 3rd inversion: right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.

What are the inversions of A dominant 7th?

1st inversion: C♯–E–G–A. 2nd inversion: E–G–A–C♯. 3rd inversion: G–A–C♯–E. Same notes, a different one at the bottom.

A dominant 7th piano chord diagram
A7 piano chord chart: A, C♯, E, G highlighted and labeled on the keyboard.

Piano 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.