Now it's time to stretch out those fingers with some 7 chords.

Adding a 7th does not necessarily make a chord is harder to play than regular major or minor chords, but you might find them a little tricky simply because you'll be using your little finger. 7 Chords (otherwise known as 7th or dominant 7th chords) have a very distinct sound and are used a lot in Blues, Folk and Country.

G7

This is a bit of a finger stretcher. It's a bit like a wider version of C, but it won't be difficult after a little practice. It sounds really cool when you're playing blues.

Start with your 1st finger and then stretch the other two fingers across. Keep it easy by remembering to keep your fingers round (like you are holding a ball) and use the tips of your fingers, not the flats.

C7

To play this chord, start with a regular C chord, and then add your little finger. When you are O.K. with that, try to mute the sixth string with the tip of your 3rd finger. It will make the chord sound better, because the low E makes the chord sound muddy, and also makes more room under your finger to try and let the note on the fourth string ring out clearly.

B7

B7 is a chord you will often come across. I didn't have a hard time with this one when I was learning, but many people do! It can be hard to get all the notes ringing out clearly. The little finger has to press hard as well, and some people find that finger to be weak because it's not been used much up to this point. As a result, it could get sore quicker than your other fingers, because the skin hasn't toughened up yet. It might take you a few attempts to get this chord right; don't forget to strum, pick and adjust, and then strum again.

Check that the tip of your 2nd finger is muting the sixth string and that the second string is ringing out clearly, and is not touched by the 3rd or 4th fingers. That is the hardest bit to get right, for sure. As you might guess, the solution is practice!

Moving On...

Now it's time to look at another really useful chord.