Major and Minor Seven Chords
Major and minor seven chords can be used to add color to basic triads. In Chapter 6, you learned that stacking a minor seventh onto a major triad produced a dominant seventh chord. Now, try stacking a major seventh onto a major triad. This will produce a chord called the major seven.
Major seven chords add jazziness to a musical passage. Alone, a major seventh interval can sound ugly. For example, try playing a middle C or C4 followed by a B4 on the piano. Remember, B4 is located above C4. (It is not the B adjacent to C4.) When you play these notes together, the interval sounds dissonant and unstable. However, when a major third and a perfect fifth are present, the major seventh lays quite beautifully on top. This is because the major seventh is a natural extension in the overtone series. FIGURE 7-1 shows you both a major seven interval and the C major seven chord in root position.
FIGURE 7-1: Major Seven Interval and Chord
Like triads and dominant seventh chords, major seven chords can also be inverted. FIGURE 7-2 shows you a major seven chord in root position followed by its three inversions. It is written in the key of C major.
FIGURE 7-2: C Major Seven Chord Inversions
Unlike their minor counterparts, major seven chords have a warm, fuzzy quality. As a result, the major seven chord is used quite effectively in upbeat, cheery pop music. FIGURE 7-3 shows you a two-chord pop progression that uses major sevenths. Notice the use of roots and fifths in the bass line; this is a common practice.
FIGURE 7-3: Major Seven Pop Chord Progression
Minor seven chords have a darker sound. Much of this is due to the flatted third interval. Like the major seven chord, the minor seven is based on stacked thirds; since it's a four-note chord, it also has three inversions. FIGURE 7-4 shows a minor seven interval rooted on C and a C minor seven chord in root position. As you will see, a minor seven interval also outlines a dominant seventh chord. However, once the minor third enters into the picture, the chord's quality becomes well defined.
FIGURE 7-4: Minor Seven Interval and Chord
Like any other chord, minor seven chords can also be inverted. FIGURE 7-5 shows this chord in root position together with its inversions written in C minor. Be sure to note the fingerings, but remember that they may not transfer to other keys.
FIGURE 7-5: C Minor Seven Chord Inversions
Don't forget to read the key signature!
Minor seven chords are useful when playing a minor blues. FIGURE 7-6 shows you the first eight measures of a C minor blues. The left hand is playing a walking bass line, which you will learn more about in Chapter 9, and the right hand is playing inversions of C minor seven and F minor seven chords respectively. These chords make up the minor i and minor iv chords of a minor blues.
FIGURE 7-6: Using Minor Seven Chords in the Blues
