Why I Love the 7th
You may notice I don't normally talk about theory on here because sometimes I think that word "theory" alone doesn't really bring up images of a super fun party (which is the goal for my blog). BUT, that being said, I procrastinated learning theory until it was essential for me to get better as a guitar player. So hopefully, if you aren't a big theory fan, you will be able to learn a bit of theory from someone who formerly thought it was boring!
There are certain chords that you hear that just sound snazzy (yes I did say snazzy). The major and minor 7th chords are some of them. They are so simple to play but when thrown in a song, they always manage to elevate it a little bit and make it sound that much more fancy and surprising in a way that works.
What makes the major and minor 7th chord so cool? All it is is adding the 7th note in the scale to your chord. (As a reminder, a normal major chord is the 1st, 3rd note and 5th note of the scale.)
7th (aka dominant 7th): 1+ 3+ 5+ b7
Major 7th: 1+3+5+ 7
Minor 7th: 1+ b3+5+ b7
(Note: this order can be mixed up! For example: 1-5-b7-b3) Also b= flat!
Who would think this extra add would make a chord sound so much more fun (amirite?!)!
Here's a few of my favorite shapes/ the most common major 7th chords for you to learn:
And here are some on the minor 7ths:
Now for the movable 7th chords! The green dot marks the root note so you can scoot the chord around your fret board!
And some fun songs that contain major/minor 7th chords you can play:
- All in My Head- Tori Kelly
- Put your Records On- Corrine Bailey Rae
-Sultans of swing- Dire Straights
-Dear No One- Tori Kelly
-Daughters- John Mayer
I hope this is a fun little breakdown of major and minor 7th chords for ya! Comment below if there is anything you want to learn more about. Thank you so much as always for reading!
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