The B7 (B dominant 7) chord contains the notes B, D#, F# and A. It is produced by taking the root (1), 3, 5 and b7 of the B Major scale. It is essentially an B chord, with an added flat 7.
B7 is relatively popular, as it is used in Blues songs that are in the key of E, which is a very common blues song. Even though B7 can be played as an open chord, it is not as easy to play as some of the other open chords.
B7 is short for B dominant 7. The dominant 7 chord is a significant chord, because it plays a very important function in any given key.
The dominant 7 chord functions as a chord that resolves to the first chord in a key. For example, the B dominant 7 chord resolves to the E Major chord (which is the first chord in the key of D)
10 Ways To Play The B7 Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for B7, here they are.
Some Quick B7 Chord Theory
- The B7 chord contains the notes B, D# F# and A.
- B7 is short for B dominant 7.
- The B7 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5 and b7 of the B Major scale.
- The B7 is the fifth chord in the key of E. It resolves naturally to the E Major chord.
- The B7 chord (just like all dominant 7 chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): major 3rd, minor 3rd, minor 3rd, tone (which leads back to the root note).
- The B mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the B dominant 7 chord.
Further Reading
