Chord Workshop 2020: Day 6 – Major and Minor 7th Chords

DISCLAIMER: Before you begin this series, I ask that you understand two basic elements:

• When we work with a standard , we'll use the 1 – 3 – 5 of the given scale. • When we work with a standard , we'll use the 1 – b3 – 5 of the given scale.

Up to this point I've only hinted at scales, but they are absolutely required to be used in order to understand chord construction. Does that mean you must know scales in order to play chords? Absolutely not. What it really means is based on understanding them.

There isn't a single thing wrong with just using a chord diagram as provided or even memorizing a given chord as a shape/pattern. This is the same idea as using our E Style (Major/minor) and A Style (Major/minor) barre chord templates to find every standard Major or minor chord ANYWHERE on the fretboard. That being addressed, doing just that might only help you remember locations.

Plus, it's much harder to think of the notes used in a given chord if you just look at a chord diagram. Truth be told, that was my biggest problem when I first started learning chords. I just saw them as pictures. They are pictures – but they are also much more. Each and every chord features at least two or more important elements just inside their given frames.

These important elements are the BASIS for everything you do in the future. You cannot (and will not) be satisified just going through the motions of memorizing chords as merely pictures. Furthermore, you won't always have a picture or a cheat sheet to use. Thus, do not be content with just learning a basic set of Major, minor or even suspended chords. There are more – and they will pop up on you when you least expect it.

So, now is the time where we have to get a little more scale-oriented. We won't dwell on too much yet, but we must see scales in action in order to understand our next set of chords, which are Major 7 (maj7) and minor 7 (m7) chords.

The first thing you'll notice when I mention those names will be the (7) in them, right? Well, the (7) in both cases is simply an added note to an already established Major or minor chord.

X Major 7 (xmaj7) = 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 | x minor 7 (xm7) = 1 – b3 – 5 – b7

What's the difference with X Major 7? We add a 7 to the Major chord, which will give us an X maj7. Sometimes you will see the maj7 property shown as M7 as well. It's the same thing. The biggest point is to make sure you DO include either the word “maj7” or “M7” because it's beyond just a regular Major chord. Recall in the past that we rarely, if ever, actually call a C Major chord a C Major chord. Instead, we usually just call it a “ C ” chord. Well, we can't do that here. We aren't just playing a C Major. We are adding a (7) property to it.

First we'll check out one of the easiest maj7 (M7) chords you'll ever learn:

Looks a lot like a C Major right? Instead of another C note we have So, we DO have 1 – 3 – 5, but Heck, it's even easier. a B note. But hey, we still have C. now we also have 7.

While the Cmaj7 (CM7) diagram above makes it seem that we've lost a note when compared to C Major, we have actually gained one.

C Major = C – E – G (1 – 3 – 5) vs. Cmaj7 = C – E – G – B (1 – 3 – 5 – 7)

Where does that 7 note come from, right? Yep, it comes from the C Major Scale.

C D E F G A B ( C ) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ( 1 ) (M) chord sus2 (M) chord sus4 (M) chord ??? * XXX (M) chord

I've labeled these scale degrees/notes based on what we've covered so far. The (M) here just means Major. The sus2 (1-2-5) as well as the sus4 (1-4-5) are the properties used to replace the standard Major (1-3-5) chord. The green box is where our Major 7 property comes in. It's just a (7) note. It's ALSO called, when dealing with the Major scale, the leading tone.

Simply put, the (7) quite frequently (almost always) “leads back” to the tonic. The tonic is just a fancy name for the (1). I really really really want to explain the (6) here. Long story short – that note, when played as a minor chord, is the relative of the Major. I won't go too far there, but I did mention it in the past.

So, keep this on your mental back burner: Any (6) in the Major scale is the relative minor chord of that scale. That means C Major and Am are relatives here. If that's the case, then the C Major scale is also = to the Am scale. Same scale, different note order.

C Major Scale = C – D – E – F – G – A – B - ( C ) Am Scale = A – B – C – D – E – F – G – ( A )

While this scale above is the C Major scale, you can also think of each note as chordal properties if it makes you more comfortable. Each tone has been clearly identified now in terms of how it is used in a chord spectrum.

How about the m7 chord, right? Since I already let the cat out of the bag in terms of scale/chord relativity between C Major and Am, let's go ahead and have some fun with chord relatives. Thus, we can use the Am scale. It's just the C Major scale starting on A.

A B C D E F G ( A ) 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 ( 1 ) (m) chord sus2 (m) chord sus4 (m) chord (na) XXX (m) chord

*don't worry about the b6 (F) property right now. We're still working with chords. It doesn't do anything for us right now.

I haven't even shown you the Am7 chord, but if you know that the m7 chord is created through 1 – b3 – 5 – b7, you have your answer.

Am7 = A – C – E – G (1 – b3 – 5 – b7) ← the b7 property (G) is added to the Am chord.

For giggles, see if you can find the spot in the block that would relate our Am chord to its Major relative. Yep – the b3 is a C note.

So, If you're thinking in a given minor scale, the b3 is the note that “relates” the Major chord or scale. That same b3 also happens to be the one tone in a chord that makes it obvious it's a minor chord.

Terminology of m7: The good thing about the minor 7 property is that we ALWAYS use the “m” in a given minor chord. So, if we are thinking of a standard Am chord, the “m” is already there. It tells us that we are playing an A minor (Am) not an A Major (A) chord. When we name a given m7 chord, we are adding the b7 property from the minor scale (not the 7 from the Major scale) to the already existing minor chord. Now we can actually look at (a few of the many versions) of the Am7 chord as a visual reference:

All of these reference the Am chord with an added b7 tone. The b7 tone here is G. Why so many versions? Well, it's just about note manipulation and options. Any of them work just fine. Your first Am7 will sound the lowest because the G tone is played open. Your second Am7 will sound a bit higher than your first one because of the added G (b7) note on the 3rd high E string beyond your initial open G string note. The third Am7 will basically BE an Am with an extra b7 (G) tone quite literally added to it. It's going to sound the fullest because we also have that extra “A” note fretted.

That's all there is to maj7 (M7) and m7 chords. Seriously.

With a given maj7 chord you just add the (7) tone to the already established Major chord. With a given m7 chord you just add the (b7) tone to the already established minor chord.

One question you might have is this . . . “Well how do we find a Major 7 chord?” Take the root note of the chord in question and move back one fret space. There's your 7!

There's only 12 notes in . Out of the 12 notes, standard scales only use a handful of them. If you think Pentatonic, you're looking at 5 notes. If you think of a standard Major or minor scale, you're looking at 7 notes. Even going full standard in terms of scale, even out of those 7 notes in a standard Major or minor scale, FIVE of them are still Pentatonic. We don't need to think beyond those right now. Below are JUST the 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 notes of each Major scale.

1 3 5 7 ( 1 ) Result of M7 prop. A C# E G# ( A ) Back a fret = G# A#/Bb D F A (A#) Back a fret = A B D# F# A# ( B ) Back a fret = A# C E G B ( C ) Back a fret = B C#/Db F G# C (C#) Back a fret = C D F# A C# ( D ) Back a fret = C# D#/Eb G A# D (D#) Back a fret = D E G# B D# ( E ) Back a fret = D# F A C E ( F ) Back a fret = E F#/Gb A# C# F (F#) Back a fret = F G B D F# ( G ) Back a fret = F# G#/Ab C D# G (G#) Back a fret = G

Aside from the fact that each column goes up a semi-tone (hint hint!) as you move downward, you can also see that once you reach the ending tonic (1) you start over. So, the moment you start over, just move one fret back. There's your M7 note. You can instantly reveal your 7th property without even using a scale. Just move back one fret from the root note. Done.

How about m7? You still go back, but you SKIP a fret from the tonic. 1 b3 5 b7 ( 1 ) Result of m7 prop. A C E G ( A ) skip a fret = G A#/Bb C# F G# (A#) skip a fret = G# B D F# A ( B ) skip a fret = A C D# G A# ( C ) skip a fret = A# C#/Db E G# B (C#) skip a fret = B D F A C ( D ) skip a fret = C D#/Eb F# A# C# (D#) skip a fret = C# E G B D ( E ) skip a fret = D F G# C D# ( F ) skip a fret = D# F#/Gb A C# E (F#) skip a fret = E G A# D F ( G ) skip a fret = F G#/Ab B D# F# (G#) skip a fret = F#

So, to get your Am7, you use A – C – E – G. It's not a G#(Ab) this time because we aren't using the (7) property. We are using the (b7) property. It MUST go lower than the 7. Funny enough, this chart is no different in incremental note usage. Each column from top to bottom increases in tone. Makes sense because we're moving from our (1) key upwards.

All you have to do to get your m7 chord here is find the tonic and then skip a fret backwards. Don't just use the fret behind it. That's your Major 7 property. Skip that semi-tone and there's your m7. Here are two examples using lesser-explained keys/scales:

Even though you only have 2 notes here, we'll consider this to be the D#(Eb) Major scale. You might not know how to get a D#/Eb Major chord all on its own (D# – G – A#) but the point here is to find the 7 property. How do we get a D#maj7 (Ebmaj7) chord? We move back from the D#(Eb) note one fret. That's a D note. It'll give us 1 – 3 – 5 – 7.

So, a D#maj7 chord uses D# - G – A# - D. (Ebmaj7 = Eb – G – Bb – D) How about we find the D#m7 (Ebm7) chord now. This time I've moved the notes to a more reasonable and easier to see location. You're considering the D#m (Ebm) scale to find the m7 property. As with D#/Eb Major, the D#m/Ebm chord might not be easy to recognize (D# - F# - A) but we're looking for the m7 property.

We can find that by locating the D# note and skipping a fret backwards. That's a C# note.

So, D#m7 = D# - F# - A – C# (and/or) Ebm7 = Eb – Gb – A – Db ← both = 1 – b3 – 5 – b7

Cool, huh? Sure it's a bunch to absorb, or is it? Depends on what you have already grasped during our big building block system of chords. As you can definitely see, regardless as to how much you've actually absorbed, is that every basic chord builds on itself to become a MORE than basic chord. That's often what we call expanded chords. You actually have a majority of the leg work done if you just focus on the Major and minor concept in its truly original format.

How about we do a quick recap before we work with some progressions?

Chord Construction Rundown:

Power Chord 1 5 X = no defining tone (not M or m)* (1 – 5) Root/tonic Dominant

Standard Major 1 3 5 3 = defining tone in Major chord (1 – 3 - 5) Root/tonic Mediant Dominant

Standard Minor 1 b3 5 b3 = defining tone in minor chord (1 – b3 - 5) Root/tonic Mediant Dominant

Suspended 4 (sus4) 1 4 5 4 = defining tone in sus4 chord (1 – 4 – 5) Root/tonic Dominant

Suspended 2 (sus2) 1 2 5 2 = defining tone in sus2 chord (1 – 2 – 5) Root/tonic Supertonic Dominant Major 7 (maj7) 1 3 5 7 7 = defining tone in maj7 chord (1 – 3 – 5 - 7) Root/Tonic Mediant Dominant Leading Tone

Minor 7 (m7) 1 b3 5 b7 b7 = defining tone in m7 chord (1 – b3 – 5 - b7) Root/Tonic Mediant Dominant Subtonic

As you can see from above, if we start with the absolute “basic” chord concept we can identify each chord property change from beginning to end. I will provide a quick way of finding each of these notes other than through using a scale, but the big point here is to recognize the construction formula of each chord type. Doing so will enable you to create any chord you want.

*Recognize that the from the top doesn't contain a (3) or a (b3) so it won't really sound Major or minor. In addition to that, it doesn't contain a (2) or a (4) – so it isn't a sus2 or sus4 chord either. Simply put, it's not a chord at all.

Power Chord Location – The power chord can be found by targeting any root note on the Low E string, A string and/or D string. Whatever note you pick is your (1) root power note. You then drop down one string from that root note and then skip a fret.

Example: I purposely chose a random and lesser used power chord location. Here I started with the E note and then just went down to the 2nd fret below the root. I then skipped a fret to find my (5) to create the 1 – 5 power chord.

While there ARE ways to find an open standard Major or minor chord, it pretty much requires a bit of scale understanding and navigation. There are plenty of good reasons to learn open Major and minor chords that way, but for now it's really just a matter of memorizing the basic ones and adjusting their shapes when necessary.

Below you will find some of the (mostly) open Major chords I recommend you memorize. I will go ahead and include a few chords that are beyond the open concept, but just realize that they are built on an overall shape OF another chord. This includes, but is not limited to, chords such as F Major and Fm as well as B Major and Bm.

Those chords can be found through using a given “stylized” barre chord shape, but I will keep it simple for now using F Major/Fm (E Style shapes) and B Major/Bm (A Style shapes) because those are definitely chords you'll encounter in even some of the “easiest” chord based songs. MUST-KNOW Open(ish) Major Chords

The first box, which is the open A Major chord, shows the 1 – 3 – 5 needed as well as the template used to move this open A Major shape “anywhere” on the fretboard to get a new chord name. Here it's a B Major chord. If you don't like the full arrangement of this barre chord, you can drop the (5) on the high E string entirely. This allows you to play the B Major (A Style Major barre chord) formation using what amounts to a power chord fingering. You still get the full chord, but it's easier to form. I have also included the additional root (previously not shown) on the G string.

The second box, which is the open E Major chord, is shown in the same way as the A Major version. I have included an additional root on the D string (previously not shown) as well here. This chord doesn't really require any finger placement alterations as the shape is very logical. If you move the open E Major chord shape just one fret higher, you'll get an F Major (E Style Major barre) chord.

The open C Major, D Major and G Major are also shown because they are very common open chords. MUST-KNOW Open(ish) Minor Chords

The same overall concept here applies. The first box is your open Am chord. When moved to an “x” fret (here it's Bm) you retain the shape but replace the original open Am with whatever note is found during your movement. Since you moved this open Am chord to the 2nd fret root on the A string, you now have a Bm. This is an A Style minor barre chord.

The second template is your open Em chord. I moved this open shape to the 1st fret, which gives us a root of (F), indicating that we now have an Fm chord using the E Style minor barre chord template. As long as you keep the shape you're all good! The last chord shown here is a Dm chord, which is a very common open minor chord.

MUST-KNOW Open(ish) Suspended Chords

While the following suspended chords are rather new to us, I do often find that it's easiest to just relate them to what they look like in terms of their Major and minor counterparts. So, I thought a good idea here would be to just display them both as . . .

How a sus4 chord relates to an overall Major chord: A quick example would be the relation between the open A Major and the Asus4 chord. It will look (or resemble) an A Major chord, but the (3) note will be moved one fret higher to reflect the (4) in Asus4.

How a sus2 chords relates to an overall minor chord: A quick example would be the relation between the open Am and the Asus2 chord. It will look (or resember) an Am chord, but the (b3) note will be moved one fret LOWER to reflect the (2) in Asus2.

How a sus4 chord relates to its sus2 counterpart: This one takes some time, but the idea here is that the Asus4 uses a (D) note, which is the (4) in Asus4. That (D) note is also how you make a Dsus2. Asus4 = 1 – 4 – 5 (A – D – E), so whatever note is in the (4) in a given sus4 is also the new root note in the sus2 chord. Thus, Dsus2 = 1 – 2 – 5 (D – E – A) , which are the same notes in alpabetical order. The top row are your sus4 chords. The bottom row are your sus2 chords. I have also lined each chord up to help you see how each sus4 relates to a sus2. Thus, a Csus4 uses the same notes as Fsus2. This goes across the board.

I have also included the wonky open (ish) shapes of the Cm and Gm chords below the Csus2 and Gsus2. I wouldn't play those versions, but they DO relate to their sus2 counterparts. MUST-KNOW Major 7th (Maj7 / M7) and Minor 7th (m7) Chords

These are also pretty new, but they aren't all that difficult at all. I won't push too many of these for now, because I'll be providing you with a MUCH easier way to learn many of them later on. Here are the maj7 (M7) chords I recommend you learn for now:

As with any chord, there are other ways you can form these. However, these will likely be the ones you come across the most. In each case, you'll find that the root chord name (C, A, G, E, D) is very much like the Major chord itself. The change occurs when a new (7) is added to the chord itself. The (7) is very easy to find because it will always be the note that is right behind the root of a given chord. So, the (7) in Cmaj7 is a B note, the (7) in Amaj7 is a G#(Ab) note, the (7) in Gmaj7 is an F#/Gb note etc.

Here are the minor 7 (m7) chords you'll want to remember for now. There aren't many of them that are truly open, but here's a few:

The Am7 here is probably the one that is played the most, but you can form a full Am chord and then just add the “G” property on the 3rd fret of the high E string. The same goes for Em7.

You can technically form a full Em (0-2-2-0-0-0) and then add the “D” property like this: 0-2-2-0-3-0 if you want.

Dm7 is pretty self-explanatory. All of these chords will be based on the 1 – b3 – 5 (minor chord) formula, but just add a b7 (1 – b3 – 5 – b7) to it. You can find the b7 property for a given minor chord by either using the minor scale in question OR just skip back a fret from the tonic. This is important to remember, because unlike the maj7 (M7) chord, where the (7) is found by moving back just one fret, this one requires you to SKIP back one fret. If you think from the tonic in the 3 chords shown above, it's this:

Am7 = A (1) down to G#/Ab (skip) down to G = b7 Dm7 = D (1) down to C#/Db (skip) down to C = b7 Em7 = E (1) down to D#/Eb (skip) down to D = b7

In each of those cases, you're skipping back from the tonic. You don't even really need a fretboard for that, but you can use it. Just remember to skip a spot BACK from the tonic and you're good.

Whew, right? Well – ALLLLLL of what I've shown you from the very beginning is about to be really interesting. Why? In the next installment we will be creating chord progressions. Guess what? They are all based on those notes you've been using. This time, these notes will become full chords.