The minor major 7th chord is well known as the James Bond chord or spy chord for its unique sound, yet many don’t understand exactly what its purpose is. So let’s go through its history.
A chord is a collection of notes designed to mimic a particular scale. A major chord always features three notes from this scale – first, third and fifth from major scale – while its opposite number, in minor scale form, includes flattened third which creates its unique sound.
1. The I chord
Major chords built upon the first, fourth, and fifth scale degrees are some of the most widely used chords in pop and rock music, such as Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl which uses these types of chords.
Major chords can be identified easily; just play the C triad (C, E and G). Listen for its distinctive yet pleasant sound! To double check, count up from C’s root (which would be C). Since E is four semitones up from C, that indicates it as being a minor chord.
There’s a special kind of minor chord known as a minor ninth chord, which differs from traditional minor triads by having one note raised an octave – it is written as Cm9 or C-9 and contains notes C-Eb-G-Bb-D.
2. The II chord
The second chord in a major key is known as the “ii,” or two chord. Jazz musicians sometimes refer to this chord as the “iim,” or two-five, due to its inclusion of an added sixth (either Am7 or Csus6) into its soundscape. Furthermore, the “two chord” can also function as a dominant seventh note (D7).
An ascending major scale contains three major chords (I, IV and V) as well as three minor chords (iii, vi and vi+iii), two diminished triads on scale degrees 22 and 77 or viio as well as two diminished triads at scale degrees 22 and 77 or viio. As shown below in the diagram, roman numerals above each note indicate both scale interval and chord quality: lowercase numerals indicate major chords while uppercase numerals denote minor chords while an uppercase o indicates diminished chords.
3. The III chord
Jazz chords often extend beyond the basic three note triad structure, creating something called diminished seventh (or half-diminished) chord. This process usually involves adding seventh intervals by notating them with flat signs – also known as add7 or Csus2.
Addition of extra intervals to a triad creates polychord chords, which are used to avoid dissonance in the bass voice and create more consonant intervals between tenor and alto voices. Furthermore, these interval relationships are fluid; they change depending on which key you move to! Furthermore, this applies for circles of fifths.
4. The IV chord
As we discussed in the prior lesson, all scales and chords contain an interval that distinguishes major from minor – the perfect third in major scales or chords, while minor scales use flattened thirds instead.
Major intervals sound more pleasant and soothing while minor intervals tend to sound discordant or restless – this effect has been scientifically validated as being real.
The IV chord in a major scale is one of the most frequently heard chords. You will likely come across it in many popular songs and it is frequently featured in jazz compositions; its use being known as “Rhythm Changes.”
5. The V chord
V chords in minor keys create tension that often resolves itself back towards the tonic chord, or I. They’re common features in classical music but can also be found in jazz, R&B, pop and country genres.
To better comprehend how this works, it helps to know the distinction between major and minor scales. Major scales always contain a major third note while minor ones don’t. This is why V chords in minor keys tend to sound more melancholic due to the way in which leading tone creation works: by being half-step below the tonic note it gives darker sounding chords while helping achieve satisfying resolution of them.