Chord Detail
B Dominant Seventh Chord
B7 is a B dominant seventh chord — the most harmonically active chord in Western music. Its combination of a major third and minor seventh creates powerful tension that drives toward resolution, making it essential in blues, jazz, gospel, and soul.
The dominant seventh chord combines a major triad with a minor seventh. B7 uses B, Eb, F#, A. The crucial tension in this chord comes from the tritone interval (6 semitones) between the major third (Eb) and the minor seventh (A). This tritone is maximally dissonant and strongly wants to resolve: the third pulls upward to the root of the target chord, and the seventh pulls downward to its third. In functional harmony, the dominant seventh (V7) resolves to the tonic (I) in what is called an "authentic cadence" — the most powerful resolution in tonal music. In blues, all three primary chords (I, IV, V) are often dominant sevenths, which removes the resolution impulse and creates the characteristic blues floating tension.
Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7
1Root0 semitones3Major Third4 semitones5Perfect Fifth7 semitones♭7Minor Seventh10 semitonesTense, bluesy, funky, and driving. The most harmonically active chord — it wants to resolve urgently.
Dominant seventh chords are the harmonic engine that drives music forward. Their combination of major third and minor seventh creates tension that pulls powerfully toward the tonic — making them the most directional chord in Western music.
⚡ Other tense sounds to explore
The dominant seventh's tension comes from the tritone between the major third and minor seventh. Voice these apart for clarity. For jazz, use shell voicings: root–seventh in the left hand, third in the right. Blues pianists often add the ♭3 (blue note) alongside the major third for that bluesy crunch.
iim7 – V7 – Imaj7 (Jazz ii–V–I)I7 – IV7 – V7 – IV7 (Blues)V7 – I (Authentic cadence)IIImaj7 – VI7 – iim7 – V7 (Jazz turnaround)Connect your MIDI keyboard and play this chord — ChordBeam identifies it instantly