Eb major 7 is a four note chord composed of E, G#, B and D notes; its voicing can be seen below on a piano keyboard diagram.
Music theory uses the note interval table to identify 7th chord qualities by counting the half-tones or semitones between root note and three consecutive notes (3rd, 5th and 7th – see Chord Intervals Summary page). This step reveals any major triad chord qualities which may exist on that particular scale degree.
Root Note
As part of learning chords, it’s essential to understand the significance of the root note. A root note serves as the starting point for all other notes within a chord and should usually be played on one of the lowest strings involved; its name gives rise to it being known by that name alone. When playing E chords for example, its root note will usually be played on your bass string but higher-pitched versions could also work depending on personal taste.
Just as every house, building, or structure requires a firm foundation for proper stability and soundness, so too do musical chords and scales rely on root notes as foundational notes in their construction – or tonic notes – in their music.
Understanding the root note is integral to music theory. This note serves as the base note of any chord or scale, providing its name as well as all subsequent intervals above or below it – each named for their respective root note.
Root notes form the basis for all the triads and seventh chords we will explore in this lesson, providing them with their foundation and characterizing their sound.
Root notes are essential in creating different chord shapes on the fretboard, especially major chords, as they allow for multiple combinations and variations to create major triads. A G major chord, for instance, can be played in root position, second inversion, third inversion and fourth inversion with each variation having its own distinctive sound based on one single root note.
To understand root notes on the guitar, it’s necessary to first be acquainted with its octave shapes. Each octave shape contains root notes which appear on its second, third and fifth strings; their combination forms a triangular pattern across the fretboard. Each position of a major scale has a distinct set of root notes which correspond to that position’s other scale patterns.
Major Third
The Major Third is one of the fundamental intervals of the major scale, consisting of two full steps and found across all major scale chords. It can usually be found between a chord’s tonic (root note) and second (or third) note. This produces a very pleasing-sounding harmony; however, beginner pianists may find it harder to detect due to its slightly brassier tone compared to that of its perfect equivalents.
Major seventh chords are formed when you combine the Major Third and Perfect Fifth to produce an open sounding chord. They’re particularly common in jazz and swing music as it adds tension and adds interest. Furthermore, major 7th chords can also be heard in numerous classical pieces such as Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or Finale to his Fourth Symphony, for example.
Understanding chord structures requires knowledge of how the major scale works. Below is a table and piano diagram showing all 8 notes (plus an octave) in this scale, along with their interval quality; in particular, 1st through 8th scale major notes always sound perfect, while 3rd-4th-5th major or minor scale notes may either major or minor in nature.
A major 7th can be composed in various ways. You may play it in root position or invert it, with inverted major 7ths created by moving the first note up an octave (12 notes), so its starting point becomes note Eb and its final destination being note C. To do this effectively you simply count up how many half-tones or semitones there are between these notes; to help this along check out this note interval table below which lists each scale degree with their associated semitone value and semitone countable semitone values can help tremendously!
The viio chord is the subtonic 7th chord in E-flat major scale and comprises D, F, Ab and C – making up its subtonic form. It can be used to create different scale variations and is commonly known as D half-diminished 7. Roman numeral viio is written with an accent mark to indicate it should be played using semitone flatness.
Perfect Fifth
A perfect fifth is a musical interval consisting of seven semitones (half steps). For example, C and G on a keyboard is considered a perfect fifth interval. It has been called perfect due to its extremely consonant sounding notes; and has also been given this name alongside unison, fourth, and octave intervals.
In chords, a perfect fifth is often present between a major third and seventh tone to create an stable chord and provide balance between its major and minor components. As major seventh chords can often sound dissonant when played alone, the perfect fifth helps reduce their dissonant impact; especially when played as part of a tertian harmony – three or more tones stacked above its root tone.
This particular voicing of an Ebmaj7 chord can also be found in many popular songs, including Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and “Happy Birthday”. When played with an electric guitar and distortion pedal, this voicing of Ebmaj7 can create an incredible rock or metal sound.
Note that, although this chord features a perfect fifth interval, “perfect” does not refer to that particular interval alone. Perfect intervals – unison, perfect fourth and octave) have this moniker because their consonant sounds make for “nice” chords; though not to discount that perfect fifths possess their own beauty when applied in chords – which they certainly do!
An aside: when a perfect fifth is altered by dropping it by half step, it becomes a diminished fifth. While this doesn’t necessarily have negative connotations – in fact it may sound quite nice! Most sources don’t include diminished fifths in their list of perfect intervals but indicate them instead by adding an “o” after the letter name of chord name.
As it’s essential to be cognizant of these issues when reading chord charts and books, ambiguities should always be kept in mind when reading charts or books. Such as when misstating a perfect fifth as a b5 or misstating #5 as a b13. When it comes to such instances, context and experience should guide your decisions accordingly.
Major Seventh
The major seventh is one of two commonly-used intervals, spanning eleven staff positions from its root note to its higher neighbor note. By comparison, minor seventh has only ten semitones as its span. Both major sevenths can be played in major and minor chords and often used to create melodies; major sevenths may also appear in chords such as Dmaj7 or Fmaj7 chords.
Major seventh chords can be constructed using the triad construction formula of 1-3-5-7. This makes learning this technique straightforward, as the root, third, fifth and seventh scale degrees from Eb major are used to compose it. Once memorized, this enables easy movement around the neck with various inversions or voicings.
This step involves identifying the major seventh scale degree at the root of this chord and calculating note interval numbers required for later steps to identify chord note names. It uses the W-H-W-H note counting rule similar to Step One; furthermore, its numbering corresponds with that on a piano diagram.
Once note intervals have been identified, it becomes a matter of identifying their chord quality that corresponds to each scale degree. Each note interval number corresponds with one column on a piano diagram while its final chord note name corresponds with another column – all this information comes together as “chord quality”, comprised of scale note name and interval number plus chord inversion.
C-to-B is considered a major seventh, since 11 staff positions separate the two notes. If this interval were instead classified as minor seventh (covering 10 positions), then its notation would be written as m7.
The major seventh chord is an indispensable tool in music composition and can be seen across genres; however, classical music especially features it prominently; an example being Anton Webern’s Variations for Piano Op 27 where this chord forms part of its signature closing duet.