Seventh chords can add an incredible layer of depth and flavor to your guitar playing, from their dreamy elegance to their subtle tension; either major sevenths or minor sevenths are great tools for conveying emotion and telling stories.
To create a 7th chord, just add an extra note to any basic major or minor triad. There are four primary kinds of 7th chords: Maj7, Min7, Dom7 and M7b5.
Major 7th
A major 7th chord (maj7 for short) is formed by adding a major seventh interval to a major triad. This type of guitar chord is frequently found in jazz and bossa nova music as its sophistication lends a sense of sophistication to progressions.
Building a major 7th chord involves two approaches. The first involves layering major thirds; for instance, G major chords consist of root, major third and perfect fifth notes; to make one into a major 7th chord simply add F# as well.
Drop 2 chord formula: When building major seventh chords, another effective method involves dropping the second highest note from four-note close chord down into bass note territory. It is frequently seen used in jazz music as well as popular rock tunes.
Minor 7th
If you want to add some colour and depth to your minor chords, the minor 7th chord may be just what’s needed. A classic R&B chord, it creates an inviting and soulful ambience and has been utilized by artists like Marvin Gaye and Alicia Keys to set an atmosphere.
They are created by stacking two minor triads with an added seventh above their root note to form an unusual sounding minor chord – something often used in R&B songs. This gives this chord its unique tone.
To play a minor seven chord, we can modify our major 7th chord by lowering its third note to produce a minor 7. These diagrams show moveable minor 7th shapes that you can use in any key; this step helps build muscle memory as you practice shifting the chords across the fretboard.
Dominant 7th
No matter the genre of music you play – rock, blues or pop – dominant 7th chords add tension and movement to song progressions, while learning their various shapes opens up an infinite number of rhythmic possibilities for rhythm players.
Major and minor seventh chords differ by adding an added flattened 7th interval from the scale, creating a unique sound and feel to each chord, often used to tone down some of the sharpness that comes from playing major triads.
These chords can help you craft some amazing rock-inspired riffs or work on improving your fingerpicking technique, or just as an excellent way to practice 7th chords – check out this song from The Beatles as an ideal way to do so:
Mix & Match
Once you’ve mastered all the major and minor barre chords, seventh chords can add even more spice to your songs. Just swap out basic open chords with one of these unique forms for something fuller and richer sounding music.
To create a seventh chord, add one more note onto the root of a triad. This note serves as the fifth and seventh note respectively – creating a seven interval from its origin point.
There are four primary categories of seventh chords: Major, Minor, Dominant and Diminished. They all stem from simple triad shapes with different notes added on top – for instance a major seventh adds both a major third and major seventh (11 half-steps up from root); Minor seventh adds both minor third but also double flat B minor seventh; diminished seventh adds diminished fourth and diminished seventh (9 semitones up from root); this creates an eerie sounding chord progression.