No matter if you are learning blues, jazz or rock chord progressions – 7th chords should form part of your chord vocabulary. They add another layer of nuanced sound compared to simple triad chords.
All of the 7th chord diagrams below are moveable – meaning you can move them up or down the fretboard to create different chord qualities. This allows you to experiment with various kinds of seventh chords until you find one you enjoy playing!
Dominant 7th Chords
Dominant 7th chords are an integral component of tonal musical styles ranging from Mozart symphonies and top 40 pop, to solo jazz guitar. To build them, add one or more lower seventh scale degree chords to any major triad.
Harmonically speaking, a dominant seventh chord can be described as a V chord which transitions through voice leading into an I chord via its notes moving stepwise between chords. Due to its flattened seventh tone and more dissonant sound than that of major triad chords, dominant seventh chords tend to sound stronger and more forceful than major triad chords.
Once you understand the basics of an E major chord, learning an open C dominant seventh chord shape should be straightforward. Simply remove your third finger from D string and add Bb. Strum all six strings to hear how different it sounds; or switch it out for F instead for an alternate C7 chord option.
Major 7th Chords
Addition of a major 7th to a major triad produces a chord characterized by its dreamy, romantic quality – popularly used in pop, rock and bossa nova music genres.
Building a major 7th chord begins by choosing its root note and moving through its scale until we reach its seventh note – wherein lies its quality as determined by its interval between first, third and seventh notes.
For help identifying note intervals, the Scale Chord Summary offers a useful table displaying note intervals. First step should be identifying the root note; next determine the distance in half-tones/semisonortnes between it and its nearest note (e.g. G to F# equals three semitones).
CAGED system makes this possible. Below are two open position voicings and two barre chord shapes (movable shapes) of a major 7th chord on guitar; these voicings may be moved around the neck for other major 7th chords.
Minor 7th Chords
This lesson will show you how to play minor 7th chords on guitar. Minor 7th chords have an unusual sound that adds extra tension to songs.
Minor 7th chords are constructed like major triads with the addition of a minor seventh interval, creating something special without necessarily sounding either happy or sad. They provide the opportunity to add emotion without oversaturating a song with too many positive or negative notes.
This lesson’s movable min7 shapes use no open strings and are freely movable up and down the fretboard to construct different chords of equal quality. Their root determines their name as well as where they reside on the fretboard.
As an example, moving shape 1 up to the third fret creates an Fm7 chord; by taking this action up to the seventh fret it forms an Amin7 chord – making it possible to quickly switch between different minor voicings on the fretboard.
Inverted 7th Chords
As with triads, seventh chords can also be inverted to create inverted tonality – this means the bass note will be placed above all other notes in the chord. A major seventh chord in root position will consist of an E in the bass with G and B stacked above it; this voicing is known as 7/5/3 in figured bass notation wherein 3 represents lowest figure and 5 represents highest figure.
To invert a chord, take the initial note and move it up an octave so it becomes the last note in its inverted state – this results in a new chord which should then be played according to standard seventh chord rules. Knowing how to invert seventh chords will broaden your musicality, increase creativity and allow for the creation of more complex melodies – begin by practicing root position chords before slowly working your way towards different inversions of major, minor and dominant seventh chords.
Seventh chords are essential building blocks in most genres of music. Their signature sound and tension help convey emotion when played properly.
These uncommon chords combine a major triad with a flattened seventh note to produce unique tones that have become an essential element of rock, blues and pop songs alike.
Major
This lesson will introduce the various 7th chords that can be played on guitar, each having their own distinctive sound that determines its sound and color – something we often refer to as the hue of a chord.
We begin our look at seventh chords by discussing major seventh chords. These can be created by adding a flattened seventh to any major triad for an upbeat sounding chord.
The second type of 7th chords is the diminished seventh. To construct this chord, take a diminished triad and add one note a diminished seventh (9 semitones) above its root note; for instance a C minor 7th contains C-Eb-Gb-Bbb). This adds tension to music and creates suspenseful atmospheres – unlike its major cousin it doesn’t contain major third notes and therefore may require more practice but remains highly effective!
Minor
Addition of a flat seventh to any major triad creates a minor 7th chord, often seen in blues music – examples include G7, C7 and B7 chords.
These chords can help create tension in a progression by not belonging to either major or minor scales; thus creating an air of mystery to songs.
These seven chords can be more difficult to play than others because they combine a diminished third, perfect fifth and minor seventh above the root note. Sometimes called suspended seventh chords, their shapes can be moved all across the fretboard to produce different variations of this chord. Wayne Shorter often used suspended seventh chords in his songs to give an airy quality to his compositions like in Fall – check it out to hear this for yourself!
Dominant
Dominant seventh chords add an additional tone to major triad chords and are most often found in blues music. While their sound may seem dissonant when played incorrectly, their use can create beautiful soundscapes if played well.
To create a dominant seventh chord, bar all six strings with your first finger placed at the fifth fret of the root string and bar all six with your index finger on its fifth fret – this will result in an easily playable and recognisable chord shape.
A dominant seventh chord typically resolves down by one step from its root chord to the tonic chord in another key when played, making for a classic technique for modulating between keys that classical composers frequently employ.
A dominant function chord can also be played with the addition of either a minor seventh or diminished seventh chord, though this requires more work under your fingers to play correctly and creates beautiful soundscapes when done so. Jimi Hendrix used extended dominant seventh chords such as C7b5 frequently in his rock music performances.
Half Diminished
A half diminished chord is formed from a minor seventh flat five chord that has been reduced by half step, creating an unrestful sound that is both melancholic and poignant.
Diminished chords may often be overlooked when creating guitar chord diagrams, yet their presence should not be overlooked; diminished chords have an extremely distinct and tense sound and may serve as transitions between major and minor chords.
Most textbooks name chords according to their triad and seventh types; for instance, a diminished triad with a minor seventh above it would be known as Dim7. However, jazz musicians sometimes use more informal terminology when referring to certain chords such as C major seventh with flat fifth (m7b5 or mdim7) for easy chord selection during any song, plus learning more about how their qualities affect its individual personality.