Confusion regarding Dominant 7 chord ~v~ 7 chord

[BlueJakester]

Is there a difference between a Dominant 7 chord and a 7 chord? For instance, if I play an A7 bar chord at the 5th fret, is it the same as a Dominant A7 chord played at the 5th fret?

I'm a little confused by the term Dominant. I wonder if using the term is optional when describing some chords?

Thanks.

[widdly widdly]

A7 is just another way of writing A Dominant 7.

[Malcolm]

.....if I play an A7 bar chord at the 5th fret, is it the same as a Dominant A7 chord played at the 5th fret? An A7 barre chord and an A7 open string chord is still an A7 chord --- How you make it --- Making it with a barre or open strings at the nut does not matter. What matters is what notes you use. Now I'm going to add a little more, perhaps more than you really want to know.........

My take on what is dominant and what is not dominant ........ The fifth chord in the key is the dominant chord.
In the G C D concept the D is the dominant chord.
In the G C D7 concept the D7 is also the dominant chord, however, it was dominant before the 7th was added. And as just a D it wanted to resolve to the tonic I chord just like a good dominant chord should. Adding a 7th increases the tension, and as such if you add tension to a dominant chord it really wants to resolve to the tonic right now. IMHO we automatically think we must help by adding the seventh. There is a time and place for the D and the D7 in a G C D progression - IMHO. :rolleyes:

Major chord = 1, 3, 5 interval of the scale
Major 7th chord = 1, 3, 5, 7 interval of the scale
Major 7th dominant = 1, 3, 5, b7 interval of the scale.

The 1, 3, 5, 7 ( Dmaj7) and the 1, 3, 5, b7 (D7) are not the same and are used differently. The b7 makes the chord a dominant seventh.

I can understand your confusion.
Click here for more detail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh_chord)