Learn to Play E7 Chord on Guitar

The E7 chord is that one chord that has the most unique sound, and once you learn how to play, it is going to hold a special place in your heart for a long, long time. E7 brings in a soulful sound mixed with bluish undertones. Thus, it is a composer favorite for people who create music in genres like jazz, blues, rock, and, in some cases, even folk.Click here to learn genres & styles based lessons.

E7, in its basic form, is quite easy to play if you have gained finger strength by practicing chords on guitar. But when you start playing, there are different variations that you get to experience in terms of depth and power. 

Today, in this blog, we are going to teach you how to play the E7 chord along with its multiple variations and songs that you can play using the E7 chord. Besides this, we will also discuss common challenges you might have to face when practicing E7 chords on your guitar. So, let’s explore this dark-sounding chord to find out where and how you can use it in your composition.

Understanding E7 Chord on Guitar

Before we begin, we first need to unravel the musical theory of the E7 and other dominant 7th chords on guitar. The dominant 7th chord is always composed of four notes: the root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. So when we put the E7 in this mechanism, we get the following notes: E (root note), G# (major third), B (perfect fifth), and D (minor seventh). The root note gives this chord a rock-solid stability, but the minor 7th also brings unprecedented tension and drama. Thus giving a special sound to the E7 chord. 

No matter how many variations of the E7 chord you will be playing, you need to remember that these are the foundational notes of E7, and in each variation, you are only going to play these notes from different parts of the fretboard. Knowing these notes and having a mental note about where they are located across the fretboard helps you experiment with multiple chords and make your variations of the chord. Learn about the string names and notes of fretboard here.

How To Play the E7 Chord Basic Version?

Now that we have told you about the notes in the E7 and its musical theory, the next thing you can learn is how to play this chord. Below, we have provided the finger placement for the basic version of the E7 chord that you need to learn before moving to its different variations.

• Step – 1: Place your index finger (1) on the 5th fret at the 2nd string. 
• Step – 2: Put your middle finger (2) on the 6th fret at the 4th string. 
• Step – 3: Put your ring finger (3) on the 7th fret at the 5th string. 
• Step – 4: Put your pinky finger (4) on the 7th fret at the 3rd string 
• Step – 5: Strum all six strings starting from 1st string.  

This is the full version of the E7 chord. You can remove a few notes to make things easier for you, but then the chord won’t sound the same. The whole 4-finger version is also used in an iconic song by the Beatles, “Eight Days a Week.”

E7 Chords Guitar Variations

In this section, we will show you different variations of the E7 chord, from simple to extremely complex, each offering something special.

i. 2-finger E7 Chord Variation

This is the easiest way to play the E7 chord. If you know how to play the E chord, then all you have to do is remove your ring finger (3) from the 4th string, and just by doing so, you get the E7 chord. 

• Step – 1: Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret at the 3rd string. 
• Step – 2: Put your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret at the 5th string. 
• Step – 3: Strum all 6 strings from bottom to top.

ii. 5th Fret E7 Chord

Playing the E7 chord on the 5th fret gives you one of the best sounds, which is filled with richness, elegance, and compassion 

• Step – 1: Place your index finger (1) on the 5th fret at the 2nd string. 
• Step – 2: Put your middle finger (2) on the 6th fret at the 4th string. 
• Step – 3: Put your ring finger (3) on the 7th fret at the 5th string. 
• Step – 4: Put your pinky finger (4) on the 7th fret at the 3rd string. 
• Step – 5: Strum all six strings from bottom to top.

iii. E7 Barre Chord Variation

We know barre chords are always hard to play, and the story remains the same with the E7 barre chord variation. If you don’t wish to use your index finger (1) as a barre, you can take the help of capo to see how the chord sounds, but it would be much better if you could take your time to practice playing the barre variation of the E7 chord then it would be much better for your guitar learning journey. You can learn more about barre chords on free guitar lessons. 

• Step – 1: Place your index finger (1) on the 7th fret across all 6 strings.
• Step – 2: Put your middle finger (2) on the 9th fret at the 4th string. 
• Step – 3: Put your ring finger (3) on the 9th fret at the 2nd string. 
• Step – 4: Strum all 6 strings from bottom to top.

Songs that use E Dominant 7 (E7 Guitar Chord)

• All Of Me by John Legend 
• All These Things I’ve Done by The Killers
• I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles
• Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash 
• It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me by Billy Joel 
• Pretty Women by Roy Orbison 
• Strong by Robbie Willams 
• Yesterday by The Beatles

Common Challenges When Playing the E7 Chord Guitar

Learning how to play the E7 chord on guitar is easy, but the main challenge everyone will face with this one will be switching from and to the E7 chord. As a result, you need to practice switching between the chords you are trying to learn and then switch between them continuously for a few minutes. 

Once you are done with the practice, take a 5-minute break and then return to it. This time, if you are feeling comfortable switching between the two, you can add a third chord that goes well with the E7 and the other chord that you have chosen. Keep repeating the process of adding new chords in the exercise until you can easily switch between the four chords.