Open Dominant 7th Chords

Dominant 7ths wrestle with an inner struggle between the majestic major 3rd and moody minor 7th. These qualities provide the main tension and release mechanism in modern harmony and lend themselves to the Blues, and Blues-influenced genres.

In this course, we will explore how to play Dominant 7th chords in the Open Position, using the five C-A-G-E-D chord forms, and also get the addition of the B7. The B triad can only be played with a barre but its Dominant 7th can be voiced in the Open Position. We’ll also see that some of these open chords have the option to add the minor 7th interval twice for an even stronger, bluesier sound.