Major 7th chords can add depth and sophistication to your songs by being constructed from stacked thirds for a more beautiful sound than regular major chords.
To create a major 7th chord, begin with your right thumb on middle C and lower it 1/2 step to B. To add an embellishment of major 7th chords, start playing three notes between middle and top C – for instance a G, D and A note can all fit within this shape.
It’s a major triad
Major 7th chords are composed of three notes from a C major triad and an additional note that is seven intervals above its root (C, E and G in this instance). To create one in C major key, add another note (in this instance B).
The result is an attractive sounding chord commonly found in jazz music, though it can also be found in rock and pop genres. Additionally, these chords typically possess a more relaxed quality compared to their counterparts.
The major seventh is an iconic chord in modal jazz, a style which blends major and minor triads to create an atmospheric and dreamy soundscape. Playing one is straightforward using stacked thirds; though these chords tend to be less frequent among heavier styles like blues and funk they still can be heard occasionally.
It’s a minor triad
The major 7th chord is an effective tool that can add minor notes to any melody, particularly rock music. But it can also be found in other genres of music and used to add tension or make the melody sound more captivating.
Triads can be defined by their structure; they consist of a minor third on the bottom, major third on top, and perfect fifth in between them. Furthermore, you can arrange them around any note on your fretboard to create all 12 minor triads.
Names of chords typically feature letters to indicate their quality, such as A minor 7th chords. Furthermore, numbers such as 6 may also be added as indicators that indicate they have undergone inversion.
It’s a diminished triad
The diminished triad is a dissonant chord, commonly used to resolve other chords and transition between scales in ascending melodic minor scale. Additionally, shred metal guitar soloists such as Oneohtrix Point Never have utilized its use to great effect.
Simply playing a major triad and adding one note that is half step below its root will produce an A diminished triad.
For those interested in getting technical, an A diminished triad is composed of multiple minor thirds stacked upon one another and can be played at various points on the fretboard to form different chord shapes. Due to this chord’s unique construction it should form part of your harmonic vocabulary; its presence can be found in many popular songs while creating tension in your music.
It’s a augmented triad
An augmented chord, in music theory terms, is defined as a major triad with a flattened seventh. It functions similarly to its minor counterpart except for its unusual sound caused by this flattening; hence its name, as major is defined as interval quality between first and third notes while fifth note interval quality increases slightly; hence its name “augmented chord”.
To create an augmented triad, start with your right thumb on middle C and left pinky on C an octave below, adding in an additional half-step flat C note a half step below; this creates the chord which forms an augmented triad – it can then be played in any key.
Augmented chords are usually resolved by moving towards either a major or minor chord that is half a step higher; for instance, G augmented is resolved into Db minor chord. Due to this characteristic of its resolution, an augmented chord may sometimes be known as the Devil’s Triad.