Bass · seventh
E7 Chord on Bass
E Dominant 7th is E, G#, B, D — the 1-3-5-b7 pattern of a seventh chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
Good news: E7 has an open shape on bass, so you can play it without barring anything. Start there and work up the neck later.
Start here — Root-3-5-b7 Shape (1st fret)
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Root-3-5-b7 Shape (1st fret) — open position, so several strings ring unfretted.
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Songs that turn on this chord
- HallelujahLeonard Cohenpre-chorus — the borrowed dominant
- House of the Rising SunThe Animalsverse — the dominant
- Can't Help Falling in LoveElvis Presleybridge — the borrowed dominant
E7 on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on bass.
E7 on Bass — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play E7 on bass?
“Root-3-5-b7 Shape (1st fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest E7 shape on bass. Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
What notes are in the E Dominant 7th chord?
E Dominant 7th is E, G#, B, D — the 1-3-5-b7 interval pattern of a seventh chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
What can I play instead of E7?
The nearest stand-ins on bass that keep the same root are Esus4, Esus2, E. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play E7 on other instruments?
Yes. E7 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind E7
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.