Lesson Contents:

• Harmonizing a Major Scale Again
  • 7th chords in A Major
• 7th Chord Formulas:
  • maj. 7 --> R, 3, 5, 7
  • min. 7 --> R, b3, 5, b7
  • dom. 7 --> R, 3, 5, b7
  • min. 7 (b5) --> R, b3, b5, b7
• Essential Chord Forms - Part 2
  • major 7th forms
  • minor 7th forms
  • dominant 7th forms
  • minor 7 (b5) forms
• Putting It All Together - 7th chords in all Major Keys

In Lesson 11 we formed triads using an A major scale by stacking a diatonic third and fifth above each note of the scale. In this lesson we extend this logic and add diatonic 7ths to each triad. The result yields what are called 7th chords. 7th chords are most often used in jazz music for their rich sounding harmony, but they exist in all styles of music.

Here is our A major scale again, but this time I have harmonized it to produce 7th chords:

Again, a pattern emerges for all major scales (keys): The chords built on the 1st, and 4th notes of the scale are major 7th chords. The chords built on the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th notes of the scale are minor 7th chords. The chord built on the 5th note of the scale is a dominant 7th chord. And the chord built on the 7th note of the scale is a minor 7 ^(b5) chord.

Here are the diatonic harmonic representations for this pattern:

There are many 7th chords, but let's just look at the 4 that appear in major keys:

A few things are worth mentioning:

• A major 7th chord and a dominant 7th chord both contain a major triad. The difference between the two chords is this: a major 7th chord contains a major 7th interval while a dominant 7th chord contains a minor 7th interval. For instance, a C major 7th chord contains the following notes: C, E, G, and B whereas a C7 (a C dominant 7th chord, pronounced "see-seven") contains the following notes: C, E, G, and Bb.

  When it comes to the IV and V chords of a major key, an important observation is needed to be made: the four-chord is a major 7th chord while the five-chord is a dominant 7th chord. (Many players starting out seem to get confused by this for some reason. Be sure you understand this distinction.)

• A minor 7th chord contains a minor triad.

• A minor 7 ^(b5) chord contains a diminished triad.

Here are some esstential voicings for the 7th chords mentioned above. There are two voicings for each chord type:

1. ones that have a root starting on the 6th string of the guitar
2. ones that have a root starting on the 5th string of the guitar

With the above chord forms you can now play any diatonic 7th chord for any major key. Here's a table to help you along:

Go to the next lesson, Lesson 15, or go back to the main menu.