G7 chord on guitar

G7 is G, B, D and F. The easiest shape is 3-2-0-0-0-1. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

3-2-0-0-0-1 · open · easy

Notes: G · B · D · F
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
First shape: 3-2-0-0-0-1

How to play G7 on guitar

Shape 1, 3-2-0-0-0-1, reading from the low E string on the left:

Index finger: high E string, 1st fret (F).
Middle finger: A string, 2nd fret (B).
Ring finger: low E string, 3rd fret (G).
Let the open D, G and B strings ring (D, G and B).

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 G7

3-5-3-4-3-3: barre shape at the 3rd fret, medium. Root on the 6th string: move it up or down and it names a different dominant seventh chord.
x-10-12-10-12-10: barre shape at the 10th fret, medium. This is the open A7 shape with a barre behind it, root on the 5th string.
x-10-x-10-8-7: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.

G7 the capo way

A capo turns an open chord into G7: capo on the 3rd fret and play the open E7 shape (0-2-0-1-0-0), capo on the 5th fret and play the open D7 shape (x-x-0-2-1-2) or capo on the 7th fret and play the open C7 shape (x-3-2-3-1-0). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Changing from G7 to the chords around it

Songs rarely hold G7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

C (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): G7 (3-2-0-0-0-1) to C (x-3-2-0-1-0): the index finger slides across to the B string at the same fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the ring finger slides across to the A string at the same fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared note: G. C on guitar
Cmaj7 (I in C major): G7 (3-2-0-0-0-1) to Cmaj7 (x-3-2-0-0-0): your index finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 3rd fret. Shared notes: G and B. Cmaj7 on guitar
Am7 (vi in C major): G7 (3-2-0-0-0-1) to Am7 (x-0-2-0-1-0): the index finger slides across to the B string at the same fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret. Listen for G, which stays put while the rest moves. Am7 on guitar

G7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. Use G7 where you want motion: it leans toward the chord a fifth below and turns up on almost every blues. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Practice G7 in two minutes

Arpeggiate 3-2-0-0-0-1 from the lowest string: G, B, D, G, B, F. Then strum it and listen for the same 6 notes together. Next, alternate 3-2-0-0-0-1 and 3-5-3-4-3-3, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Keys and progressions with G7

In G major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on guitar is G7 (3-2-0-0-0-1), C7 (x-3-2-3-1-0) and D7 (x-x-0-2-1-2). About the 12-bar blues.

In C major, ii–V–I on guitar is Dm7 (x-x-0-2-1-1), G7 (3-2-0-0-0-1) and Cmaj7 (x-3-2-0-0-0). About the jazz cadence.

G7 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: G7 on piano and G7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to G7

Other dominant seventh chords

G7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in G7 on guitar?

G, B, D and F. In the 3-2-0-0-0-1 shape the strings play G (low E string), B (A string), D (D string, open), G (G string, open), B (B string, open) and F (high E string), so G and B are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play G7 on guitar?

3-2-0-0-0-1, the first shape on this page. Open strings do part of the work, so no barre.

Is G7 a barre chord on guitar?

Not in its common form: 3-2-0-0-0-1 needs no barre. Barre forms exist up the neck if you want a different sound.

Which string does G7 start on?

In the 3-2-0-0-0-1 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 3rd fret, which is G, the root.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside G7. Updated September 2026.