G7 — the G dominant 7 guitar chord

G7 is the classic chord for heading back to C, bright with a nagging tension. It mirrors the G shape, with the high E dropping to the 1st fret. As with G, the A string stays quiet on purpose. The other trap is the wide stretch between the outer fingers collapsing and muting the open middle strings.

G7
Ⓡ3×○○○1

How to play it

  • Index finger on the high E string (1st), 1st fret.
  • Ring finger on the low E string (6th), 3rd fret.
  • Let the open D string (4th), G string (3rd) and B string (2nd) ring.
  • Don't strum the A string (5th). It stays silent in this shape.

Changes to practice

Holding G7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice G7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Open 7ths set:

Same root, different color

  • G — G major
  • Gm — G minor
  • Gm7 — G minor 7
  • Gmaj7 — G major 7