Dominant 7th Chords

Music Theory Quadad Chord Theory (4 Note Chords)
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You'll find Dominant 7th Chords more often than Major 7ths Chords. And they're super easy to construct!


View the full lesson at Dominant 7th Chords | JustinGuitar

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I was playing Buffalo Soldier on Rocksmith, and they play a triad but call it an E7, which was played 4th fret of 3rd, 3rd fret of 2nd, and 4th fret of 1st. This would be the notes B, D, and G#. They hit all the notes of the E dominant chord except the Root note.

Is the game mislabeling the chord, or can you actually play quadad’s with only 3 notes?

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@Fncanuk There will have been some other instrument (bass likely) playing the root note, thus defining and grounding the chord.
Cheers :smiley:
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide

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Ahhhhhhhh never would have thought of that lol. Thanks!

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Having a hard time understanding why in the Maj7 chord grips, we don’t play the 1st string, and play it on the Dominant grips?

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Hey Guillame,

Justins recommended grips are based on sound, fingering, and common usage.
For example try playing a full Root 6 Major 7 chord with the high e string fretted. Awkward fingering and it sounds a bit crappy. Also, Root 6 Dominant 7s are often played without the high e string. Technically, theres no right or wrong here. Its about the sound and playability.

In the end, as long as you have the correct intervals, you can play any chord however you like.

Cheers,
Shane

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Yeah, you can play the 1st string in those grips if you like. In root 6 Maj7 grips you would double the root note at the same fret, while in the case of root 5 Maj7 grips you would double the 5th. It’s all down to the sound you prefer and the grip you find more comfortable.

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Must the Dominant 7th Chord have 4 notes? I was looking at fingering for an A7 chord played at the 10th fret using a C7 shape, but it didn’t contain an E note. (The 6th and 1st strings were muted.)

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Hello Dana,

The defining notes are the 3rd and the b7th. You can drop the 5th anytime. Even the root. So depends on the context/ sound your going for.

I like alot of the triad type versions of the domininant 7
ie. R-3rd-b7

The rootless dominant 7 also sounds cool in certain contexts
ie. 3rd-5th-b7

All valid 7th voicings.

Cheers, Shane

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Good question.
As Shane explains, it must contain root, 3rd and b7th but the 5th is an optional note once you begin extending a chord beyond it basic major triad notes.