Nothing accentuates the atmosphere of a song quite like seventh chords do – they form the backbone of so many of our favorite tunes!
A seventh chord can be defined as a triad with an extra major 7th interval added on top, creating a new sound in the chord.
Dominant seventh chords are one of the most frequently used chords and typically serve to resolve progressions.
Major Seventh
The major seventh chord has an iconic, rock and roll sound that works well across many genres of music. When used sparingly, its grandiosity and power add depth and grandeur to progressions.
Dominant seventh chords are an indispensable element in Blues and Rock music, yet they can also add an informal vibe. Drop 3 voicings – created by dropping the third note down one octave – can bring that laid back feel.
To create this type of chord, simply combine a major and minor triad by stacking them on top of one another. There are two ways this can be accomplished; either add a major seventh interval between root and fifth note; or take an existing major triad and add a minor seventh for more efficient progression between chords without losing cohesion and structure provided by major sevenths.
Minor Seventh
A minor seventh chord can add flavor and beauty to any guitarist’s repertoire, especially those working in various genres of music. It adds extra dimension to minor triads while sounding wonderful across multiple styles.
Chords constructed using this method involve adding a flattened 7th scale degree (minor seven is lower than major seven and adds tension) to a minor triad (1, 3, 5). This adds tension while remaining melodically neutral.
This chord is often found in jazz music and other forms that require a more complex sound, and can even be found in acoustic guitar music.
Drop 2 voicing is the standard way of playing minor 7th chords, consisting of moving down one of the highest notes from a four-note close voicing to its bass note position. As demonstrated below in chord charts, in order to play this type of chord you’ll need to barre across fifth and fourth strings with your first finger to play this type of chord.
Half-Diminished Seventh
Half diminished seventh chords are an intriguing passing chord that can add tension and mystery to your progressions. They may sound dark and minor at times, yet they can also sound energetic and major thanks to their tritone/minor 7th anatomy.
Just like major, minor and augmented triads, each note interval has its own distinct chord quality that all comes together in an organized pattern to form specific types of chords. A B half diminished seventh chord is made up of notes B, D and F; you can create one above any note by following this pattern of intervals.
Dim7 chords typically consist of a root note, diminished 3rd note, flat 5th tone and flat 7 note. They are commonly seen in jazz music as they provide the “ii – v – i” chord structure in minor keys; shorten these chords to Bb5 or m7b5 to make fingering them on the fretboard easier.
Minor Seven Flat Five
Minor seventh flat five chord is a type of diminished triad which does not feature an exact fifth, instead having its fifth flattened by one semitone for a unique sound and texture. You can build this chord by stacking both minor third (3 to 5) and major third (5 to 7) chords on top of any root note to form this sounding chord.
This chord can often be found as a replacement for the dominant seventh chords used in minor II V I progressions, as its strong draw toward resolution often makes this choice of chord appealing. You might recognize its use from songs by Santana such as “Smooth” or from 12 Bar Blues compositions.
Find popular M7b5 chord shapes all over the internet using this chord chart as a starting point. Drop 3 voiced is listed first followed by drop 2 voicesd shapes – other shapes may exist but this should give you some ideas of where to start looking.
Seventh chords add a beautiful element of color and personality to any chord progression, particularly popular among soul, R&B, and jazz musicians.
Seventh chords are formed by adding the seventh interval from any scale to triads, and in this lesson we will cover three common types: major, minor and dominant sevenths.
Major Seventh
Major seventh chords sound similar to dominant seventh chords but without as much tension; they are commonly found in jazz and blues music.
To create a major seventh chord, begin by taking any basic major triad and adding its respective seventh interval; for instance you could form a G major triad by adding F#.
Drop 2 voicings offer another means of building major seventh chords. They involve altering the third highest note in an open position major seventh chord by dropping it an octave down, creating four different shapes of major seventh chords on the fretboard that can be played differently.
Extending major seventh chords by adding additional notes (e.g. a ninth (9), eleventh (11) and thirteenth (13) allows for further development. Here are some examples on how to play extended major seventh chords on guitar.
Minor Seventh
An added minor seventh can add depth and complexity to a minor chord, often found in jazz, blues and other genres of music.
For a minor seventh chord to form, simply combine its root note, flatted third note and fifth note from a minor scale (1 2 b3 5 b7) into any regular minor chord – playing it across all six strings with a barre and usually muted (i.e. an “X”) is recommended.
To create an Em7 chord, take an A major seventh and lower its 3rd and 7th frets by one fret each to produce it. From here you can move this shape up or down the fretboard for different minor seventh chords in any key, and moveable minor 7 drop 2 and 4 voicings (where bass note is on sixth string) can also be created by shifting this chord shape up or down by string skipping up or down neck – see chord diagram below as examples of how these work.
Dominant Seventh
The Dominant Seventh is another type of seventh chord commonly used in blues music because its naturally sound is “blue.” To create one, add the flat seventh note (one step lower from its octave) to any major triad or chord.
Once established, this A7-shape barre chord can be moved up and down the neck like any major seventh chord – leaving out only its low E string when strumming for its distinctive dissonant sound created by discordance between its root third and flat 7th.
Elvis made his most acclaimed hits famous by employing dominant seventh chords such as A7, B7 and E7 that gave them their distinct sound. Play along to these songs using these chords as you listen for how they work; also practice switching back and forth between major and dominant to get acquainted with both chords while moving them comfortably around your neck.
Minor Seven Flat Five
Minor Seven Flat Five chord is an invaluable replacement for dominant chords in blues or jazz progressions, especially the 12 Bar Blues where switching Dominant chords frequently is common and this substitution works extremely well.
This chord can be constructed from either a Diminished Triad or Dominant Chord and includes its root (the triad), flat 3rd, and 5th from A Major scale – otherwise known as an Am7b5 chord or A diminished chord with lowered fifth (flat five).
Minor Seven Flat Five is so-named due to a variation of lowering its fifth note by one half step; this process creates what is known as flat-five substitution; used when swapping one dominant chord for another by simply dropping its fifth note down by half step.