Seventh chords are an indispensable part of a guitarist’s repertoire. Based on major triads and using only two fingers for movement, seventh chords provide easy learning opportunities for beginners.
Seventh chords are very versatile and allow you to add tension or resolution as required in your music. Let’s examine a few different seventh chord types.
Major 7th
Once you’ve learned the fundamental beginner chords, major 7th chords can add another level of flavor and movement in your progressions. They are an effective way of creating tension and motion within a song.
Maj7 chords are triads with the addition of the major seventh note (one tone below an octave). They tend to produce a more romantic sound than Dominant 7th chords and can be found across various genres such as blues, jazz and rock music.
Maj7 chords come with various inversions. One popular technique involves moving the first two notes up an octave for [5 1 3], as seen below – known as Drop 2 voicing – so as to produce [5 1 3].
Minor 7th
By adding a minor seventh to a major triad, minor seventh chords create a soft, melancholy sound. They’re less tensiony than their dominant 7th counterparts and can be used in almost any genre of song.
There are various m7 chord shapes, but the most prevalent ones are variations on open Em7 and Am7 chords. At first, learning these may prove challenging; with practice however they soon become second nature.
These guitar neck diagrams present four drop 2 minor 7th chord voicings for practice purposes, featuring their root position in black, the first inversion in blue, second inversion red and third inversion green. Add these chords into your songs so they become part of your playing style!
Dominant 7th
Dominant seventh chords are a type of major triad featuring an additional minor seventh interval, or 10 semitones above the root note, to create dissonance and tension within a chord progression by drawing listeners closer towards its tonic chord in order to find resolution.
Bluesy tones also ring true with dominant 7th chords when used appropriately – think Rolling Stones with (Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, or Blue Oyster Cult’s classic “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” complete with cowbell!
This lesson will explore four dominant 7th drop 2 voicings that you can add to your acoustic guitar chord repertoire. These voicings are constructed by dropping the 3rd highest note from a closed dominant 7th chord and adding an additional bass note an octave lower, creating four new dominant 7th drop 2 chords.
Half Diminished 7th
The half diminished 7th chord is an effective addition to any guitarist’s arsenal. This dominant chord can work well when used within dominant function progressions.
An m7b5 chord consists of a minor triad on its bottom with an added major 7th on top, often known as an m7 flat 5 chord. When this minor third interval is flattened (lowered by one semitone) it becomes a diminished chord.
The vio7 chord can be used either in major keys as a viio7 chord, or minor keys as a iio7 chord to create tension and create movement within music. Furthermore, this chord can act as an effective secondary dominant chord to accompany strong melody lines.
Barre chord
Barre chords offer an easy and efficient way to play seventh chords, since their shorter string length allows the fingers to take on the role of the nut and make them much simpler to finger in keys with few or no open notes.
This barre chord utilizes an E shape with the addition of a flat 7th for a dominant seventh chord. As with all seventh chords, it’s crucial that all strings ring clear so as to achieve an authentic sound.
Dominant seventh chords are an indispensable element in many genres of music and it is easy to understand why they have such an integral place in them. Dominant seventh chords add tension while providing a solid basis for songwriting. Practice dominant seventh chord shapes regularly so as to develop your strength and dexterity as an artist.
Seventh chords are chords that contain an additional seventh note above the root. They are used to create complex chord progressions while adding tension or relief to any given situation.
There are five main kinds of seventh chords found on guitar. Each type offers its own sound and function in music; let’s examine them closely here.
Major Seventh
The major seventh chord can add a great deal of diversity and interest to a chord progression. Natural in most major and minor keys, Maj7 chords create movement while attenuating dissonance within a progression.
To play a major seventh chord, all it takes is starting from a basic major triad and adding one major seventh interval above its root note – for instance C major seventh chord would have C-E-G-B notes as its chord sequence.
If you’re searching for an effective song to practice major seventh chords, look no further than this Beatles tune! Not only is it enjoyable and straightforward, but its repetitive chorus also offers ample opportunities to improve rhythm and fingerpicking technique while strengthening Dmaj7, C#m7 and Bmin7 chords!
Minor Seventh
The minor seventh chord (Em7) is an exquisite way to add tension and soulfulness to songs. Constructed out of four notes that combine major triads with minor seventh intervals, you can find its notes by taking an E major triad and lowering its third (E) and seventh (B).
These devices have become very popular for adding emotion to songs. They are frequently utilized in sad or blues tunes and help create a softer sound in pieces of music.
There are four different kinds of seventh chords — major, dominant, minor and flat 7th — which you can incorporate into different genres of music. We will concentrate on major and minor seventh chords first since they’re among the easiest ones to learn; they will significantly broaden your chord vocabulary! Eventually we will progress onto additional 7th chords so as to expand your repertoire and give your pieces more variety.
Dominant Seventh
Dominant seventh chords consist of a major triad and minor seventh above the root, creating dissonance between their major third and minor seventh components that creates tension and instability; due to this dissonance they typically resolve quickly into tonic chords (I).
These chords’ tight character makes them popular in rock and blues music genres, for instance John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” or Muddy Waters’ “Blues Before Sunrise” serve as great examples of these chords in action.
Subdominant seventh chords can also be represented with just a 7. For an alternative sound, try placing the root note of your dominant seventh chord on one or more lower string using an E7-shape barre chord, as shown below in Diagram A or 4B below. As with major seventh chords, however, dominant seventh chords should always be carefully tested to make sure all strings ring clearly before proceeding further with any configurations.
Diminished Seventh
A fully diminished seventh chord is an unusual type of chord composed solely from minor thirds stacked one upon another, making it highly dissonant and not suitable for long lingering sessions of listening or contemplation. Instead, diminished seventh chords should be used more as transitioning chords that transition seamlessly from one chord to the next.
C#dim7 chords can often be found within the harmonic minor scale, though they may also exist within other scales as well. A rootless C#dim7 may even serve as an effective replacement for G7 or E7 chords in certain circumstances.
Diminished seventh chords are great tools for building tension and propelling music forward by linking one chord to the next chord in a progression, particularly as passing chords between major or minor scales; you can hear this technique used to connect Paul McCartney’s Blackbird for instance. Furthermore, diminished sevenths can help introduce key changes and introduce tension – for more on this topic check out our free guide to understanding chord progressions!
When opening up a guitar songbook, seventh chords are typically written using chord symbols above the staff. These movable shapes allow you to adjust them up or down on the fretboard as needed.
All seventh chords consist of three triads connected by a 7th interval above their roots. There are four different kinds of seventh chords: major, minor, dominant and diminished.
Major Seventh
Major seventh chords (maj7s), commonly used in jazz and blues music, represent an advanced step up from triads. Made up of the first, third, fifth notes plus an added major 7th interval they provide an array of tones that evoke classic chord progressions from classical composers like Beethoven.
These chords are well-known for their soulful, smooth sound. When used thoughtfully within a progression, maj7 chords can add an elegant flourish. Artists such as Alicia Keys and Marvin Gaye know exactly how to set the atmosphere with carefully placed maj7s in their songs.
To play a maj7 chord on guitar, start with a regular C major chord and add a major 7th note to it. As this can be difficult to remember, use a chart of maj7 chords as practice to familiarize yourself with its shape. Furthermore, try different drop 3 voicings by shifting down one note an octave; this will produce either a maj9, maj7add11, or maj7b5 chord – each offering unique sound qualities!
Minor Seventh
Minor seventh chords are an effective way of adding extra depth and sophistication to guitar progressions, from jazz through rock and funk, providing your tune with an atmospheric soundscape. They add an intimate, warm quality that’s great for creating moody melodies.
These chords are created by adding the flat 7th interval from a major triad to its root note, often creating an easygoing progression in music such as bossa nova or jazz. They often create an atmospheric ambience.
To play a minor seventh chord on guitar, simply lower both of its third and seventh notes by half steps – this creates a C minor seven chord on the low E string and G minor seventh chord on A string (you can see their shapes above and below). This exercise will help you quickly master minor seventh shapes!
Dominant Seventh
Dominant seventh chords are an extremely popular type of chord that contains both major and minor triads. To form them, one adds a flat 7th to an existing major chord and refers to them by their root note number along with “7.”
These chords combine major and minor elements to create tension that must be released through tonality in a tonic chord, making them the ideal V chord in chord progressions.
You’ll find dominant seventh chords in many blues songs – both modern and classic. Listening to John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” or Muddy Waters’s “Blues Before Sunrise,” for instance, you might notice them using E dom7 chords for their IV and V chords respectively – worth adding these shapes into your chord repertoire and learning how to navigate between them on the fretboard.
V7
The V7 chord, often referred to as a dominant seventh, is one of the most widely used seventh chords in music. Constructed from a major triad with an additional major seventh interval above its root (e.g. Cmaj7), its nomenclature can vary depending on who wrote, published or copied out your piece of music.
Funk’s V7 chord is an effective tool for creating harmonic tension and resolution while adding drama and grandeur. When mastering these new shapes, be sure to listen for how dominant seventh chords add depth and character in timeless tunes such as Stevie Wonder’s Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head by stacking thirds above the root until one of four different triads appear: major 7ths (7 chords above root), minor 7ths, dominant seventh chords or minor seventh b5s! Intervals are key when mastering all these shapes!