E seven chordE7

Built from

• Eroot
• G♯major 3rd
• B5th
• Dflat 7th

The flat 7th rubs against the major 3rd, and that tension wants to resolve.

Hear it in a progression

• ii–V–I

  The backbone of jazz. In A major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. Bm7ii7
  2. E7V7
  3. Amaj7Imaj7
  4. Amaj7Imaj7

• Blues opening

  The first four bars of a twelve-bar blues. In E major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. E7I7
  2. A7IV7
  3. E7I7
  4. E7I7

Where it goes next

Thinking in A major, where it is the V7 chord.

• Amaj7

  Imaj7. The strongest pull in music: tension resolving home.

• F♯m7

  vi7. The fake-out: you expect home, you get the relative minor.

Sounds close

• C♯m7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have E, G♯ and B.

• Ddim7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have G♯, B and D.

• B♭7

  Tritone substitute: swaps in for it in jazz. Both have G♯ and D.

• C♯m

  Shares 2 of its notes. Both have E and G♯.

Scales that fit

Notes you can play over this chord, simplest first.

• E major pentatonic
• E minor pentatonic
• E blues
• E mixolydian

Keys it lives in

• A majoras V7
• F♯ minoras VII7