Learning seventh chords is essential to developing song arrangements. Below is a chart to assist with memorizing some of the more frequently encountered chords.
Major 7th chords (abbreviated maj7) are four note chords found in open positions on a guitar, typically composed of four notes with altered extensions whereby either its fifth note is raised or flattened.
Major Seventh
Seventh chords feature an air of jazziness, making them a mainstay in many genres and songs such as Ella Fitzgerald’s “Stardust” or Stevie Wonder’s “Funky Feeling”. Mastering all their shapes may take time but will open up many options for your chord progressions.
Major seventh (maj7) chords are composed from major triads but also feature an additional major 7th interval from their root note, often found in rock and blues music.
Major 7th with a sharp 11 (maj7(#11)) is created by stacking a major third on top of a dominant 9 chord, commonly found throughout blues music. Drop 3 voicings can be created by dropping the highest note in close position chord an octave lower for three distinct options – great for creating tension and adding jazz flair to chord progressions as well as building blocks for modal improvisation!
Minor Seventh
Minor seventh chords are created by adding a major seventh interval above the root of a triad, for instance in C major it would consist of notes C, E, G and B; it is usually designated M7 when written down or indicated on sheet music/lead sheets.
It has a very tense sound, making it useful in creating tension and instability within a progression. Additionally, its solidness on guitar lends itself well to funk progressions.
The m7 chord is one of the easiest and most versatile seventh chords to learn. There are numerous different shapes you can play m7 chords in, most open but some having duplicated notes. Here you will find some common shapes as well as barred fingers-friendly voicings that would work better with barred fingers; furthermore there will be some notations where strings must be muted when playing standard tuning (this helps with voice leading when switching between different voicings).
Diminished Seventh
No matter the style of music – be it jazz, rock or funk – seventh chords add depth and emotion to any progression. They come in five distinct varieties: major, minor, dominant, diminished and half-diminished chords – here are a few examples to get you inspired!
The diminished seventh chord is an uncommon one, formed from a diminished triad with an altered fifth (known as a tritone) to form its distinctive sound.
Diminished sevenths can often be found on a leading tone, the scale degree that lies one step above or below the tonic key of each key. When this chord roots on this leading tone, it becomes fully-diminished; otherwise it becomes half-diminished; half-diminished seventh chords are particularly prevalent in minor keys where they often serve as dominant chords; they can also be used to modulate to another key by leaving off one root from their triad and adding chromatic b 6s to this triad triad, often used by omitting roots from triad triad and adding chromatic b6s to existing chords.
Altered Dominant Seventh
If you want to give your voicings some extra sonic drama, try exploring altered dominant seventh chords. Although less commonly encountered than their more basic cousins, they’re an invaluable addition to your left hand voicing repertoire and our Visualization Course can teach you how to master them for maximum impact.
Alterations to chords involve raising or flattening notes within it to give it a unique flavor – this technique is especially popular among jazz musicians.
This chart displays chord shapes that can be easily moved up or down the fretboard for different root notes. There’s also a variation wherein the fifth note of each chord has been removed; this is known as a flat 5, though you might also use (+5) or (-5) depending on your preferred approach to chord voicings.