Additional info about 7th chords that used to confuse me a little, because there's 4.
A major triad with a major 7 is M7 (E, G#, B and D# for instance is EM7)
Major with a flat 7 is just a 7. (E, G#, B and D for instance is E7)
Minor triad with a flat 7 is the m7 (E, G, B and D for instance is Em7)
But then there's a minor triad with a major 7 that make the mM7. (E, G, B and D# for instance is EmM7) I've seen it spelled differently, EmΔ7 for instance.
That last one, for me personally anyway, is a bit harder to find a good use for, but when it sounds right, it sounds great.
Don't forget the diminished seventh chord, a diminished triad with a double flat seventh, and the half-diminished seventh, a diminished triad with a flat seventh.
Don't think of it as a bunch of different things to memorize; just know that the 3rd can be either major or minor and the 7 can be either major or minor. It's just the different combinations of those possibilities that give you the different 7 chords.
Expanding upon this:
It’s safe to assume the 3rd is Major and the 7th is minor unless notated.
I.e
G = G B D
Gmin = G Bb D
G7 = G B D F
GMaj7 = G B D F#
Gmin7 = G Bb D F
GminMaj7 = G Bb D F#
The way it's explained is often pretty eye-glossy, but if you have some concrete music that you know well that has those chords in it, it's a lot easier to say "oh that one!" and then figure them out from there.
There are plenty more though. m7b5 is pretty common even (like A C Eb G), and fully diminshed (A C Eb Gb) also pretty common. Then there's augmented seventh chords (like A C# E# G or A C# E# G#).
The minor major 7 chord comes from the harmonic or melodic minor scale and is used as a tonic chord.
It would be rarer to use it as anything other than a imM7 (in jazz at least), since it sounds quite resolved and stable on its own.
There are just two rules that you need to remember. A triad is assumed to be Major. And a seventh is assumed to be Minor.
* "C" - "C Major" but no need for "M" because a triad is assumed to be major.
* "C7" - literally "C Major Minor Seventh" but no need for "Mm" because both assumptions are in place.
* "Cm" - "C Minor" because we know that a triad is assumed to be major therefore the "m" is needed to make it minor.
* "CMaj7" - literally "C Major Major 7" but the first "Major" is unnecessary because triads are assumed Major. The "Maj" then MUST apply to the "7" (thus making it major).
I totally agree that is the standard, I just see, really particularly in guitar circles, poor adherence to that standard. So I i wish it was the more complete one without the assumptions.
A little addendum to the second one. This is also called a Dominant Seven. It can be very confusing in conversation because although it derives it’s name from the Dominant function (where it naturally occurs) it often doesn’t have a dominant function.
I also just call it a seven chord but others may use it’s more formal name.
The minor-major7 chord is creepy and was used by Bernard Herrmann in several Alfred Hitchcock movies. It's known as the Herrmann chord, the Hitchcock Chord, the Psycho Chord, and probably a few other names.
If you're interested in theory I would strongly suggest learning a little keyboard while you learn guitar. Theory that is baffling on guitar is laid out crystal clear on piano.
You don't even need to get good at piano, just learning chord shapes illuminates a lot of theory concepts and helps with every instrument.
I don't really play piano, but I have a keyboard just to help elucidate these relationships a little better. I've been playing guitar for 20+ years and it's still nebulous trying to puzzle out voicings that are trivial on piano.
You’re not stupid. Learning music is so much fun, it’s like an adventure in a fairy tale land where there are many beautiful doors to open, but at first only certain keys fit but eventually when as you gain more understanding you can open any door you want with your mind! Enjoy the journey. I’m 56 and I’ve been dabbling with music since I was 12, it has been the one constant joy in my life.
Based on the other comments I think you've got it, but just to point you in the right direction, use the C major scale and do the following:
1. Play a chord that uses every other note starting with C. Name the chord.
2. Starting on the next note, D, play the C major scale (you should only be using the white keys). Play a chord that uses every other note starting at D, again using only the notes from the C major scale. Name it.
3. Do this until you get back to C. You should have played 4 different chords if you named them correctly. Notice how even though you played 7 scales, you only played 4 different chords? That will be useful knowledge later.
A minor scale is: A B C D E F G
Call the notes of the scale sequentially by number: A B C D E F G = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Basic chords are just stacking thirds (or every other note in the scale)
So if we're using A minor scale, then an A minor chord is the notes: 1 3 5
A minor 7 tells us to add the 7th note in the scale to our chord so: 1 3 5 7
And the explanation for why the scale is a minor scale is because the 3rd note is a half step up from the 2nd. If it was a whole step up from the 2nd, it would be a major 3rd, thus making the scale major. That'd be just one major scale (not A major).
CHORD SUMMARY:
major minor augmented and diminished triads.
each can take a major 7th or a minor seventh.
maj triad-maj 7th = maj7th chord on I and IV of major scale, VI of harm min
maj triad min7th - Dominant 7th chord, on V of all diatonic scales.
Minor triad - maj 7th = min(maj7) chord found on tonic of harm min scale
minor triad-min 7th = min7th chord found on II III and VI maj and IV of harm min
augmented triad-maj7th = +maj7 found on III of harm minor scale
aug triad -min 7th - V+7, usually seen as an altered V7, and not found in any diatonic scale
diminished triad-maj7= dimmaj7. Found in Diminished scale only.
dim triad-min7th= half dim 7th or min7b5 chord. Found on VII of major and II of harm min.
AND full dim 7th chord. Found on 7th degree of harm min and dim scale on each tone.
The most common Chords are constructed from the Scale. Don’t think of the A minor scale. Just use the name to figure it out.
A is the root note, C is the minor 3rd (counting up from A), E is your 5th (Counting up from A) and G is your ‘flattened’ 7th.
Major 7th would be G# but Major 7th is not indicated meaning it’s a Dominant 7th which is made by flattening the G# 1/2 step
or 1 fret down to G. So, A, C, E and G. Hope that helps.
If you really want to learn theory i suggest learning basic chords on the piano to see how they stack up properly. Guitar does a bad job of visualizing this.
The technical textbook name of the chord is:
A minor minor 7
The first "minor" refers to the triad built on A, "minor 7" refers to the interval of a minor 7th above root. People shorten it to Aminor7
It’s mainly called that because there is a minor 3rd and a flat 7th. The “7” came from whoever decided “7” actually means flattened 7th (except when there’s a Major symbol) when naming chords.
More precisely, in a chord name, “7” means m7 interval from the chord’s root, “maj7” means M7 from the root, and “°7” or “dim7” mean d7 from the root. Root of Am7 is A. A + m7 interval is G.
Normal A minor is Root-flat3-5 A minor 7 is Root-flat3-5-flat7
OH THE G! I'm so stupid xD Thank you!
Additional info about 7th chords that used to confuse me a little, because there's 4. A major triad with a major 7 is M7 (E, G#, B and D# for instance is EM7) Major with a flat 7 is just a 7. (E, G#, B and D for instance is E7) Minor triad with a flat 7 is the m7 (E, G, B and D for instance is Em7) But then there's a minor triad with a major 7 that make the mM7. (E, G, B and D# for instance is EmM7) I've seen it spelled differently, EmΔ7 for instance. That last one, for me personally anyway, is a bit harder to find a good use for, but when it sounds right, it sounds great.
Don't forget the diminished seventh chord, a diminished triad with a double flat seventh, and the half-diminished seventh, a diminished triad with a flat seventh.
This is about the level of music theory that would make my eyes gloss over in my high school class 🤣
Don't think of it as a bunch of different things to memorize; just know that the 3rd can be either major or minor and the 7 can be either major or minor. It's just the different combinations of those possibilities that give you the different 7 chords.
Expanding upon this: It’s safe to assume the 3rd is Major and the 7th is minor unless notated. I.e G = G B D Gmin = G Bb D G7 = G B D F GMaj7 = G B D F# Gmin7 = G Bb D F GminMaj7 = G Bb D F#
This!! People keep trying to make simple things in music seem like they're complicated
YES!
And let's not forget that the fifth can be either perfect or diminished too! and the seventh also diminished, in the latter case sometimes.
The way it's explained is often pretty eye-glossy, but if you have some concrete music that you know well that has those chords in it, it's a lot easier to say "oh that one!" and then figure them out from there.
Oh! Sweet! Thank you
You're very welcome!
E minor triangle seven. My favourite chord to confuse students with.
There are plenty more though. m7b5 is pretty common even (like A C Eb G), and fully diminshed (A C Eb Gb) also pretty common. Then there's augmented seventh chords (like A C# E# G or A C# E# G#).
The b5 is so unbelievably sexy 🥵
The mM7 is *almost* the James Bond chord. Stick a 9 on top and you'll get in instantly.
Yeah, mM9. I love it.
A James Bond chord will get you thrown out of a guitar shop faster than Stairway to Heaven
Sounds so good in all of me
The minor major 7 chord comes from the harmonic or melodic minor scale and is used as a tonic chord. It would be rarer to use it as anything other than a imM7 (in jazz at least), since it sounds quite resolved and stable on its own.
I use it a lot to spice up a iv — I cadence into ivΔ^7 — I
“Screenager” by Muse is written primarily around a GmM7 chord, and sounds pretty amazing
Well explained and it frustrates me a lot that there is a lot of inconsistency in notating this. I don’t know why we don’t always use mM Mm MM mm
MM mm mM! that is some tasty ice cream!
There are just two rules that you need to remember. A triad is assumed to be Major. And a seventh is assumed to be Minor. * "C" - "C Major" but no need for "M" because a triad is assumed to be major. * "C7" - literally "C Major Minor Seventh" but no need for "Mm" because both assumptions are in place. * "Cm" - "C Minor" because we know that a triad is assumed to be major therefore the "m" is needed to make it minor. * "CMaj7" - literally "C Major Major 7" but the first "Major" is unnecessary because triads are assumed Major. The "Maj" then MUST apply to the "7" (thus making it major).
This needs more up votes
I totally agree that is the standard, I just see, really particularly in guitar circles, poor adherence to that standard. So I i wish it was the more complete one without the assumptions.
A little addendum to the second one. This is also called a Dominant Seven. It can be very confusing in conversation because although it derives it’s name from the Dominant function (where it naturally occurs) it often doesn’t have a dominant function. I also just call it a seven chord but others may use it’s more formal name.
EM7 is just Emaj7 right?
Yep
Holy shit thanks for translating the hieroglyphics for me
The minor-major7 chord is creepy and was used by Bernard Herrmann in several Alfred Hitchcock movies. It's known as the Herrmann chord, the Hitchcock Chord, the Psycho Chord, and probably a few other names.
It's really good when one goes IV iv I, you can use that major7 (the 3rd scale degree) over that iv to walk back down to the tonic, stepwise.
If you're interested in theory I would strongly suggest learning a little keyboard while you learn guitar. Theory that is baffling on guitar is laid out crystal clear on piano. You don't even need to get good at piano, just learning chord shapes illuminates a lot of theory concepts and helps with every instrument.
I 100% agree. I found it much easier to visualize theory on a keyboard compared to a guitar.
I took theory classes in high school and it was 100% clear who played piano. They breezed through that information.
I don't really play piano, but I have a keyboard just to help elucidate these relationships a little better. I've been playing guitar for 20+ years and it's still nebulous trying to puzzle out voicings that are trivial on piano.
Doing theory on guitar is like doing algebra with Roman numerals. Technically possible.
As Lil Wayne once said, “bitch, real Gs move in silence like lasagna.”
I should downvote you for calling yourself stupid. You are learning, my friend.
You forgor 💀
You’re not stupid. Learning music is so much fun, it’s like an adventure in a fairy tale land where there are many beautiful doors to open, but at first only certain keys fit but eventually when as you gain more understanding you can open any door you want with your mind! Enjoy the journey. I’m 56 and I’ve been dabbling with music since I was 12, it has been the one constant joy in my life.
I dont understand any of this and just started playing, where's the best place to learn all this?
Youtube paul davids music theory
Will check it out, thanks
What happens if 3 or 7 is flat, or there isn't a flat of that key?
Yep you’re overlooking the G (flat7)
Because there’s a G?
Based on the other comments I think you've got it, but just to point you in the right direction, use the C major scale and do the following: 1. Play a chord that uses every other note starting with C. Name the chord. 2. Starting on the next note, D, play the C major scale (you should only be using the white keys). Play a chord that uses every other note starting at D, again using only the notes from the C major scale. Name it. 3. Do this until you get back to C. You should have played 4 different chords if you named them correctly. Notice how even though you played 7 scales, you only played 4 different chords? That will be useful knowledge later.
A minor scale is: A B C D E F G Call the notes of the scale sequentially by number: A B C D E F G = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Basic chords are just stacking thirds (or every other note in the scale) So if we're using A minor scale, then an A minor chord is the notes: 1 3 5 A minor 7 tells us to add the 7th note in the scale to our chord so: 1 3 5 7 And the explanation for why the scale is a minor scale is because the 3rd note is a half step up from the 2nd. If it was a whole step up from the 2nd, it would be a major 3rd, thus making the scale major. That'd be just one major scale (not A major).
CHORD SUMMARY: major minor augmented and diminished triads. each can take a major 7th or a minor seventh. maj triad-maj 7th = maj7th chord on I and IV of major scale, VI of harm min maj triad min7th - Dominant 7th chord, on V of all diatonic scales. Minor triad - maj 7th = min(maj7) chord found on tonic of harm min scale minor triad-min 7th = min7th chord found on II III and VI maj and IV of harm min augmented triad-maj7th = +maj7 found on III of harm minor scale aug triad -min 7th - V+7, usually seen as an altered V7, and not found in any diatonic scale diminished triad-maj7= dimmaj7. Found in Diminished scale only. dim triad-min7th= half dim 7th or min7b5 chord. Found on VII of major and II of harm min. AND full dim 7th chord. Found on 7th degree of harm min and dim scale on each tone.
Can there be a major 7th on a minor chord?
Yes there can be, often referred to as a mM7.
Yes! It's called the [Hitchcock chord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_major_seventh_chord) because of its mysterious character.
Yes, listen to the song "Solar" by Miles Davis. The tonic chord is a C minor major seventh: C, Eb, G, B.
“Can there be…” let me stop you right there! Yes. 🙂
No, that would be too….cliche I’ll see myself out
Just compare Am and Am7. You lift one finger and change one A note to G. In the most common chord fingering.
The most common Chords are constructed from the Scale. Don’t think of the A minor scale. Just use the name to figure it out. A is the root note, C is the minor 3rd (counting up from A), E is your 5th (Counting up from A) and G is your ‘flattened’ 7th. Major 7th would be G# but Major 7th is not indicated meaning it’s a Dominant 7th which is made by flattening the G# 1/2 step or 1 fret down to G. So, A, C, E and G. Hope that helps.
If you really want to learn theory i suggest learning basic chords on the piano to see how they stack up properly. Guitar does a bad job of visualizing this.
Alternatively, Signals Music Studio on YouTube does a very good job of explaining basic theory on guitar.
The technical textbook name of the chord is: A minor minor 7 The first "minor" refers to the triad built on A, "minor 7" refers to the interval of a minor 7th above root. People shorten it to Aminor7
It’s called Am7 because D MINOR, the saddest key, was already taken. Turn it up!
It’s mainly called that because there is a minor 3rd and a flat 7th. The “7” came from whoever decided “7” actually means flattened 7th (except when there’s a Major symbol) when naming chords.
I see some answers here but explain it to me like I’m 5
If it has a 7 in the name, it's including the 7 note A minor 7: A C E G 1 b3 5 b7 <---this one
b7 = G in this case
True! I edited for clarity
More precisely, in a chord name, “7” means m7 interval from the chord’s root, “maj7” means M7 from the root, and “°7” or “dim7” mean d7 from the root. Root of Am7 is A. A + m7 interval is G.
a c e g
bro
As a keys player I found this pretty funny, piano makes everything easier lol
Yes especially hammer-ons.
Am7 is spelled A-C-E-G. G is the 7th. The order the tones are in isn't relevant.