How to play the A Dominant 7th chord on guitar
A7 is A major with one finger lifted, making it one of the few chords that is easier than its parent. That accessibility is why blues in A is the traditional starting point for learning twelve-bar form.
A Dominant 7th is a dominant seventh: the A triad with a flattened seventh on top — A, C#, E, G. That added note is what gives it its bluesy, unfinished pull.
Finger it one string at a time
- low E string: don't play it.
- A string: play it open.
- D string: fret 2 with your middle finger.
- G string: play it open.
- B string: fret 2 with your ring finger.
- high E string: play it open.
Leave the G string open in the middle of your A chord.
What makes this shape awkward
- 1 string stays silent, so your strumming hand has to start on the right string. Aim the pick rather than sweeping all six.
- 3 strings ring open, which is what gives this shape its sustain — but it also means any finger leaning against a neighbouring string will deaden it. Arch your knuckles.
Where you'll use it
A7 appears in 3 of the play-along progressions in RiffRoute. These are the actual sequences it sits in:
- Delta Turnaround (Texas Blues, 110 BPM) —
A7 → D7 → A7 → D7 → A7 → E7 → D7 → A7 → … - Pocket Funk (Funk, 100 BPM) —
E7 → A7 → B7 - Coastal Breeze (Bossa Nova, 105 BPM) —
C → A7 → Dm → G7
Chords it's usually played with
In the progressions that use A7, these turn up alongside it most often — learning them together is more useful than learning A7 alone.
Hear it and check yourself
Reading a diagram only gets you so far — the part that decides whether A7 sounds right is whether every string rings cleanly. RiffRoute plays the chord back, listens while you strum it, and tells you which string is buzzing.