A7

A1C♯3E5G♭7

Major triad, minor seventh. The chord that wants to resolve a fourth up.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

2130

open · no 5

Fig. 3

2434

moderate

Fig. 4

213x

easy · no 5

Fig. 5

2134

hard · no 5

Fig. 6

x99a

moderate · barre · no 5

What is true of it

A7 is A, C♯, E and G — 1, 3, 5 and b7 counted from A.

On an instrument that cannot reach all 4, the 5 goes first, in that order.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is 2130: 3 fingers, held at the 1st fret.

1 of them use open strings, which is what makes a shape quiet to change to.

1 of the 5 need a barre.

It leaves out the 5. 4 strings cannot carry 4 notes, and the 5 is the one this chord can lose without changing what it is.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are A, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

A7/C♯

x130

second inversion

A7/E

999a

third inversion

A7/G

0100

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

A in other shapes

Amaj7major seventh Am7minor seventh Am(maj7)minor major seventh Amajor Amminor Adimdiminished

C7 C♯7 D♭7 D7 D♯7 E♭7 E7 F7 all 374