E7 — the E dominant 7 guitar chord

E7 gives E a restless, bluesy edge. It sounds like it wants to move somewhere, usually toward A, which is why so much blues in E leans on it. If you already know E major, the trap is fretting the D string out of habit. That string rings open here.

E7
Ⓡ○2○1○○

How to play it

  • Index finger on the G string (3rd), 1st fret.
  • Middle finger on the A string (5th), 2nd fret.
  • Let the open low E string (6th), D string (4th), B string (2nd) and high E string (1st) ring.

Changes to practice

Holding E7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice E7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Open 7ths set:

Same root, different color

  • E — E major
  • Em — E minor
  • Em7 — E minor 7