Dominant Chords on Guitar: Hear the Function and Find the Targets
By Daniel Weiss · Published · Updated
A dominant 7 chord is a major triad with a flat 7 added: C E G becomes C E G Bb. Whether the chord also acts as the dominant, the V of a key, depends on where it sits.
Hear it first: C major, then C7
Press Chord on C major, then switch to C7 and press Chord again. Same frets, plus one note on the 3rd string.
C (degree 1, the root), string 5, fret 3; G (degree 5), string 4, fret 5; E (degree 3, the 3rd, a target note), string 2, fret 5. Not played, shown as faint grey circles: Bb, string 3, fret 3
C (degree 1, the root), string 5, fret 3; G (degree 5), string 4, fret 5; Bb (degree b7, the b7, the dominant sound), string 3, fret 3; E (degree 3, the 3rd, a target note), string 2, fret 5
Play this. Play the C major triad, then C7, on frets 3 to 5; C7 adds the Bb on the 3rd string. Listen for that one added note: it is the sound Daniel calls the key sound of the dominant.
“The flat seven is the key sound of our dominance.”
Daniel Weiss, from the video above (0:31, YouTube auto-captions, which read “dominance”)
C E G is C major. Add Bb and it is C7.
What makes a chord dominant: quality, function, context
People use the word for three different things. Keep them apart.
Quality is what the notes are. A dominant 7 chord is a major triad plus a flat 7.
Function is the job in a key. The chord built on the 5th degree is the dominant: in C major, G or G7.
Context is what happens around it. C7 can be the V of F, or the I chord of a blues that does not have to go anywhere.
| Chord | Notes | Quality | Job in C major |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | C E G | Major triad | The I chord, home |
| G | G B D | Major triad | The V triad: a dominant triad |
| G7 | G B D F | Dominant 7 | The V7: dominant quality and function |
| C7 | C E G Bb | Dominant 7 | Not in the key of C. The V of F, or the I chord of a blues |
| Cmaj7 | C E G B | Major 7 | The I chord with a major 7th: not a dominant |
That answers the search for a dominant triad: it is not a separate chord type. Usually it means the major triad on the 5th degree, G B D in C. Some players also use it for the major triad inside a dominant 7, C E G inside C7.
A major triad is not automatically a dominant. C E G is the I chord in C major.
Add Bb and you hear C7. Add B natural instead and you hear Cmaj7, a different chord.
Daniel’s way in: five things he plays on C7
The video title promises five ways. The captions do not number them, so this page groups what he shows, in his order.
Times are from auto-captions, give or take a few seconds.
He starts by recording a loop, so every idea is heard over the chord.
“The first thing I’m gonna do is I’m gonna record this nice loop.”
Daniel Weiss, from the video above (0:17, YouTube auto-captions)
| Step | What he shows | Time | Notes in C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where the flat 7 sits in the triad shapes: root, 3rd, 5th, 7, then in first and second inversion | 0:25 | Bb, a minor third above G |
| 2 | Two triads in one chord: C major and E diminished | 1:26 | C E G and E G Bb |
| 3 | Approach a chord tone from the 6th: the 6th goes to the 5th, then an arpeggio | 2:17 | A to G |
| 4 | Bend from the flat 3 to the 3 | 3:10 | Eb (D#) to E |
| 5 | Come into the 3rd from the 4th and the 2nd | 3:46 | F and D into E |
Steps 1 and 2 are about seeing the chord. Steps 3 to 5 are about moving into its notes.
He calls the moves approaches: notes that lead into a chord tone.
Two triads in one chord
“You’re actually getting two triads when you think about C7, you’re getting both C and E diminished.”
Daniel Weiss, from the video above (1:29, YouTube auto-captions)
Check it: C7 is C E G Bb, and without the C, E G Bb is an E diminished triad. It shares E and G with the C major triad.
This is a triad, not a diminished 7 chord: the fourth note of that chord, Db, is not in C7. For the scale that goes with this color, see the diminished scale lesson.
Approaching the chord tones
Each approach is one or two notes that arrive on a chord tone:
- The 6th, A, moves to the 5th, G.
- The flat 3, Eb, bends up to the 3, E.
- The 4th, F, and the 2nd, D, both land on E.
Daniel names no frets for these in the captions, and neither does this page. Find the notes where your hand already is.
Find the targets: the 3rd and the b7
Two notes decide that a chord is a dominant 7: the 3rd, E, and the b7, Bb. Daniel approaches chord tones such as the 3rd, and calls the b7 the key sound.
Now hear them move: C7 goes to F, one common way a dominant resolves. Both shapes sit on the same four strings.
The 3rd, E, rises. The b7, Bb, falls.
C (degree 1), string 5, fret 3; G (degree 5), string 4, fret 5; Bb (degree b7), string 3, fret 3; E (degree 3), string 2, fret 5
E became F. Bb became A.
C (degree 5), string 5, fret 3; F (degree 1), string 4, fret 3; A (degree 3), string 3, fret 2; F (degree 1), string 2, fret 6
Play this. Play C7, then F. Listen for the E rising and the Bb falling, one fret each, while the C stays where it is.
C (degree 5), string 5, fret 3; F (degree 1, the root), string 4, fret 3; A (degree 3, the 3rd, a target note), string 3, fret 2; F (degree 1, the root), string 2, fret 6. Not played, shown as faint grey circles: G, string 4, fret 5; Bb, string 3, fret 3; E, string 2, fret 5
| In C7 | Job | Moves | In F |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | The 3rd | Up a half step, to F | The root |
| Bb | The b7 | Down a half step, to A | The 3rd |
| G | The 5th | Down a whole step, to F | The root, doubled |
| C | The root | Stays | The 5th |
The same two half steps happen from G7 to C: B rises to C, F falls to E.
It is one resolution, not a rule. A dominant 7 can also stay put, as it does in a blues.
Download the printable chart (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Common mistake: hearing every major triad as a dominant
A major triad is a quality, not a job. C E G is C major, and it is the home chord in the key of C.
The correction is to name three things before you solo. Quality is the notes, function is the degree, and context is where it goes next.
Practice this
Record a short C7 loop, as Daniel does at 0:17. Play the C major triad, then C7, over it, and find the Bb.
Play this. Over the loop, play any Eb and bend it up a half step to E, his step 4. Listen for the half step landing on the 3rd.
Then take one of his other steps and stay with it. Daniel says the list is open.
“Whenever you see a triad, there’s many ways to manipulate that triad.”
Daniel Weiss, from the video above (4:21, YouTube auto-captions)
Where to go next
Next lesson: how chord tones move from one chord to the next, on the voice leading lesson. The C7 to F move above is a small case of it.
- Shell voicings for comping, for the small chord shapes
- The diminished scale lesson, for the dominant color
- Guitar Triads: The Complete Guide
- The guitar improvisation guide
Frequently asked questions
- What makes a dominant chord different from a regular major triad?
- A dominant 7 chord adds a flat 7 to a major triad: C E G becomes C E G Bb. Daniel calls the flat 7 the key sound of the dominant.
- How do I find the flat 7 on the fretboard in different inversions?
- Daniel finds it in the first inversion either after the 5th or on one string from the root, and again in the second inversion. In C7 it is Bb, a minor third above the 5th, G. The captions give no frets, so the chart here is computed.
- Can I approach dominant chord tones with bends and arpeggios?
- Yes. Daniel approaches the 5th from the 6th, bends from the flat 3 to the 3, and comes into the 3rd from the 4th and the 2nd.
- C7 is C E G Bb. Without the C, the notes E G Bb are an E diminished triad, so the two chords share E, G and Bb. This holds in every inversion, not only some.
- What is a dominant triad?
- It is not a separate chord type. Usually it means the major triad on the 5th degree, G B D in the key of C. Some players also use it for the major triad inside a dominant 7, C E G inside C7.
- Does a dominant 7 chord have to resolve?
- No. C7 can move to F, as in the chart above, or it can be the I chord of a blues and stay where it is.