A7 Chord on Ukulele
A7 = A – C# – E – G (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th)
A chord is the same notes however you stack them, and which one sits at the bottom changes how it sounds. The chord builder puts each of A7's notes in the bass in turn, names the result, and plays it.
Hear every inversion of A7 →A7 is a one-finger chord: only the C string is fretted, at the first fret, with the index finger, while the G, E, and A strings all ring open. It sits directly between A minor's open shape and A major's two-finger shape in terms of hand position, using the same C-string fret A major does but leaving the G string open instead of fretted. It's often the very last of the essential seventh-chord shapes a beginner adds, rounding out G7, C7, and D7 with a fourth low-position dominant seventh.
As the dominant seventh built on A, this chord is the V7 in the key of D, making the A7-to-D resolution one of the most frequently used cadences whenever a piece sits in that key. Because three of its four strings ring open, it has a particularly resonant, ringing character among the ukulele's seventh chords — arguably the brightest-sounding V7 shape on the instrument. It also appears as a secondary dominant in songs centered on other keys, briefly tonicizing D even within a piece that's mostly in C or G, adding a moment of color before returning to the main key. Alongside G7 and C7, A7 completes a trio of one-finger dominant seventh shapes that share almost identical hand mechanics despite landing on completely different strings — a useful pattern for a beginner to notice, since it means the physical gesture of "one finger fretting a seventh" transfers directly between three different chords rather than being a one-off shape to memorize in isolation.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
With only one finger required, the focus here is really about the strings around it: make sure the fretting finger's placement doesn't lean into the open G string beside it, since that's the one most often deadened by accident. A7 doubles as a useful isolated ear-training chord — compare it against A major (adds the G string at the second fret) and A minor (drops the C string fret entirely) to hear how each one-note change shifts the color. Because it shares its one-finger simplicity with C7, practicing A7-to-C7 back and forth is a good drill in relocating a single finger accurately between two different strings and frets. Once the four essential open sevenths — G7, C7, D7, and A7 — are all comfortable individually, cycling through all four in sequence is a strong general warm-up that touches nearly every low-position finger placement the instrument's easiest chords use.
Common Progressions
- V7 – I (A7 – D)
- I – IV – V7 – I (D – G – A7 – D)
- ii – V7 – I (Em – A7 – D)
- D and A7 by themselves make a simple, effective two-chord vamp.
FAQ
- Is A7 easier than A major on ukulele?
- Yes — it drops the G string's fretted note that A major needs, leaving only the C string fretted, so it's a genuine one-finger chord.
- What makes A7 sound so open compared to other seventh chords?
- Three of its four strings — G, E, and A — ring completely open, giving it more unfretted resonance than most of the ukulele's other dominant seventh shapes.
- Can A7 be used in keys other than D?
- Yes — it frequently appears as a secondary dominant, briefly tonicizing D for a beat or two inside a song that's mostly centered on C or G, before the progression returns to its main key.
- Why do G7, C7, and A7 all use a single finger?
- In each case, three of the chord's four notes already sit on the open GCEA strings, so only the one remaining chord tone needs to be fretted — a direct, repeated consequence of how much harmonic content those four open strings already carry.
- What's a practical exercise using all four open sevenths together?
- Cycle through G7, C7, D7, and A7 in that order at a slow, steady tempo, focusing on smooth transitions rather than speed — it's a compact warm-up that touches the full range of easy fretted-hand positions this side of the neck.
- Is A7 easy enough to be a total beginner's first seventh chord?
- It's a strong candidate — alongside C7, it's one of the two simplest one-finger sevenths, so either makes a reasonable starting point before tackling G7's three-finger shape or D7's barre.
A7 on other instruments: A7 on Guitar, A7 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.