silencegho
14th February 2007, 12:13
We’ll just be dealing with the most common forms of the 7th chord for this lesson and as the original had done before, we’ll be going over these with the root on the A string but we will also be going over ones that have the root on the low E string, as well as the root on the B string as well (For most, but not all), but this will still be in the Key of C. As before, these can be moved all over the neck and in different keys and whatnot.
7th Chords: Major, Dominant, Minor, Diminished, Half-Diminished, Augmented, Minor-Major, 7sus4:
Now, unlike the triads we went thru in the first part, these chords all contain one more note from the Major scale, which is the 7th. Now, with this added seventh, this gives the chord a more distinctive quality and tonality and is used in a lot of jazz music, especially for jazz guitarists who solo chordally, instead of sticking to just one or more modes/scales thru the whole piece because now that we have the 7th added to the triad, we get a chord that better represents each mode of the major scale, but that’s a whole different story altogether, which I can get to another time.
Now, the first chord we will be working on is the major 7th chord. This chord, like the major chord contains the root (C), 3rd (E), and the 5th (G), but now we add on the major 7th to this triad which is (B), to create a major 7th chord. The formula now goes: (C-E-G-B) Intervalically, this chord can be seen as: (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th and Major 7th.) The way this is played on the guitar, starting on the A string goes as:
E--3--|
B--5--|
G--4--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
As you can see, we have, starting on the A string, the root (C), on the D string the 5th (G), on the G string, we have the 7th (B), on the B string we have the 3rd (E), and on the high E string we have the 5th once again.
Now, there is another from of the major 7th that we can utilize starting on the low E string which is formed like:
E--x-- |
B--8--|
G--9--|
D--9--|
A--x-- |
E--8-- |
This one is a little differently played because we are not going to utilize the A string at all, so while playing this, mute the A string by the side of your first finger and the high E string on the side of your 4th finger. For this chord, we have the root (C) on the low E string, the 7th (B) on the D string, the 3rd (E) on the G string and the 5th (G) on the B string.
To build this chord with the root starting on the B string, it would go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--4--|
D--2--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
For this one, we have this form built as: Root (C) on B string, 7th (B) on the G string, 3rd (E) on the D string and 5th (G) on the low E string.
The next chord we will be looking at is the Dominant 7th chord, which is formed by taking the original Major 7th chord form and lowering the 7th one half step or a minor second down to a Bb, so now the formula will be: (C-E-G-Bb) Intervalically, this one can be seen as Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th. On the guitar, starting on the A string root, the chord will be formed as:
E--3--|
B--5--|
G--3--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
For this chord, it’s a good idea to play this barring the notes on the 5th fret with your 1st finger which frees up your second finger and makes the chord easier to play. Starting with the root note on the A string this chord has the same note placement as the major 7th, but all we do is lower the note on the G string one fret down to get the flat 7th.
On the low E string, this would be played like:
E--x--|
B--8--|
G--9--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
For this form, all we did was take the original Major 7th form we had before but just lowered the B down a minor second or one fret down to Bb on the D string. So now we have the Root (C) on the low E, the 7th (Bb) on the D string, the 3rd (E) on the G string and the 5th (G) on the B string.
To build this with the root on the B string, it would go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--2--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
Now this form goes: Root (C) on B string, the flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, the 3rd (E) on the D string and the 5th (G) on the low E string.
Now onto the Minor 7th chord. For this 7th chord, we lower the 7th as well as the 3rd. So with this new information, we have the makeup of a minor 7th chord which is: (C- Eb-G-Bb). Intervalically, this chord can be seen as: (Root, Minor 3rd, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th).
To play this on the guitar, starting on the A string, we take the same Dominant 7th form as before, but we lower the E down one half step or one fret down to an Eb, which will now alter the chord to this shape:
E--3--|
B--4--|
G--3--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
As you can see, this chord has the same basic finger and note placement as the dominant 7th chord form, but all we did was move the E on the B string down a fret to Eb.
So now it would be Root (C) on the A string, 5th (G) on the D string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string and flat 3rd (Eb) on the B string. You can add the 5th on the high E string if you would like, but it’s not required.
For the form with the root on the low E string, it would go like this:
E------|
B--8--|
G--8--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
As you can see, it has the same basic shape as the Dominant 7th form, but we lowered the B on the G string down one fret to a Bb, so now the form would go: root (C) on the low E string, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the G string, and 5th (G) on the B string.
To build this starting with the root on the B string, it would go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--1--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
For this form, we have: Root (C) on the B string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the D string, and 5th on the low E string.
Now, to build a Half Diminished 7th chord, we take the original Minor 7th form we had before and we lower the 5th one half step or a minor second down to Gb, so now the formula for a Half- Diminished 7th chord would go: (C-Eb-Gb-Bb). Intervalically, this chord is seen as: (Root, Minor 3rd, Diminished 5th, Minor 7th)
To build this on the A string, we take the original minor 7th form we had before, but lower the 5th one half step, and this is what we get:
E--3--|
B--4--|
G--3--|
D--4--|
A--3--|
E------|
To play this, just barre your first finger over the 3rd fret and use your second and 3rd fingers to play the Bb and the Eb. We can see the chord is made up as: Root (C)on the A string, flat 5th (Gb) on the D string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string and the flat 3rd (Eb) on the B string.
To build this chord with the root on the low E string, we move the G on the B string down one fret or a minor second to Bb to make the chord shape look like this:
E-----|
B--7--|
G--8--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
We now have this chord form going like this: Root (C) on the low E, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the G string and the flat 5th (Gb) on the B string.
To build this with the root on the B string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--1--|
A--x--|
E--2--|
For this form, we now have: Root (C) on the B string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the D string and the flat 5th (Gb) on the low E string.
Now, to build Diminished 7th chord, we take the original half-diminished form we had before, but now we lower the 7th again and make it a B double flat, which is the same as an A. So now the formula will be: (C-Eb-Gb-Bbb) Thinking of this intervalically, it would go: (Root, Minor 3rd, Diminished 5th, Major 6th). To play this with the root on the A string, it would go as follows:
E--x--|
B--4--|
G--2--|
D--4--|
A--3--|
E------|
Here, we now have the root (C) on the A string, the flat 5th (Gb) on the D string, the Double flat 7th (Bbb) on the G string, and the flat 3rd (Eb) on the B string.
To play this with the root on the low E string, it would go like this:
E-----|
B--7--|
G--8--|
D--7--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
So now we have the root (C) on the E string, Double flat 7th (Bbb) on the D string, Minor 3rd (Eb) on the G string and the Diminished 5th (Bb) on the B string.
The next chord is going to be an Augmented 7th chord. This chord is rairly used in western music, but is good to know anyways for reference purpouses cause you will come across this chord once in a while on jazz lead sheets and such. This chord’s formula is as follows: (C-E-G#-Bb). This chord can also be thought up as a Dominant 7th#5, but we’ll stick with Augmented 7th for now. Intervalically, it can be seen as: (Root, Major 3rd, Augmented 5th, Minor 7th)
The way this would be played starting on the A string would go:
E--4--|
B--5--|
G--3--|
D--6--|
A--3--|
E------|
All we did to build this chord was take the original dominant 7th shape and move the 5th one fret (minor second) higher to G#, so now the chord goes: Root (C) on the A string, sharp 5th (G#) on the D string, Flat 7th (Bb) on the G string and 3rd (E) on the B string.
To play this on the low E string, it would go:
E-----|
B--9--|
G--9--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
For this form, we have the Root (C) on the low E, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, 3rd (E) on the G string and sharp 5th (G#) on the B string.
To build this starting on the B string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--2--|
A--x--|
E--4--|
For this form, we now have: Root (C) on the B string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, 3rd (E) on the D string and the sharp 5th (G#) on the low E string.
The next to last chord is going to be the C7sus4 chord, which should be pretty self explanatory, but if not, all it is, is taking the Dominant 7th form (C-E-G-Bb) and raising the 3rd up one half step to F to create a Dominant7th Suspended 4th chord, where the formula goes: (C-F-G-Bb) Intervalically, this can be seen as (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th) To play this with the root on the A string, it will go:
E--3--|
B--6--|
G--3--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E--x--|
Now all we did was move the E on the B string up a fret/minor second to F, to make it a 4th. So now, it will go: Root (C) on A string, 5th (G) on D string, flat 7th (Bb) on G string and 4th (F) on B string.
To build this with the root on the Low E string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--8--|
G--10-|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
For this one, we moved the 3rd E, on the G string one fret higher to give us our 4th, so now it goes: Root (C) on low E, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, 4th (F) on the G string and the 5th (G) on the B string.
The final chord is going to be a Minor-Major 7th chord. Now, this may be a little odd sounding and a little complicated but in reality, it’s formula is: (C-Eb-G-B) All it is, is just a Minor triad (C-Eb-G) with a major 7th (B) on top of it. Intervalically, this one would go: (Root, Minor 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th)
This chord built on the A string goes:
E------|
B--4--|
G--4--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
As you can see we have the root (C) on the A string, 5th (G) on the D string, 7th (B) on the G string and 3rd (Eb) on the B string.
To play this on the low E string, it will be formed as follows:
E-----|
B--8--|
G--8--|
D--9--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
We now have the Root (C) on the low E string, 7th (B) on the D string, (3rd ) Eb on the G string and 5th (G) on the B string.
To form this with the root on the B string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--4--|
D--1--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
For this form, we have, starting on the B string: Root (C), 7th (B) on the G string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the D string and the 5th (G) on the low E string,
Phew! That’s a lot of information to swallow all at once, so take your time. I included all these playable chord forms so that you can figure out which ones are easiest for you to play, plus if your in a Jazz situation you can’t be staying on one string with the same chord, so it’s good to know when to utilize chords starting on the low E, A and B strings, cause it’s all about making the smallest possible movement available, and doing it with minimal effort. And as before, let me know if this helped you out or if it was all just a jumbled up piece of **** and was wasting my time. I’m sure that this has some holes in it, so if you have any information that can correct any errors in here, let me know, cause I wrote this up while I was running on micro sleep for a bit but I tried to correct any errors I made before. If you would like me to continue, I’ll go on with part 3. which will go over “Add” chords and the 3 main forms of the 9th chord.
7th Chords: Major, Dominant, Minor, Diminished, Half-Diminished, Augmented, Minor-Major, 7sus4:
Now, unlike the triads we went thru in the first part, these chords all contain one more note from the Major scale, which is the 7th. Now, with this added seventh, this gives the chord a more distinctive quality and tonality and is used in a lot of jazz music, especially for jazz guitarists who solo chordally, instead of sticking to just one or more modes/scales thru the whole piece because now that we have the 7th added to the triad, we get a chord that better represents each mode of the major scale, but that’s a whole different story altogether, which I can get to another time.
Now, the first chord we will be working on is the major 7th chord. This chord, like the major chord contains the root (C), 3rd (E), and the 5th (G), but now we add on the major 7th to this triad which is (B), to create a major 7th chord. The formula now goes: (C-E-G-B) Intervalically, this chord can be seen as: (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th and Major 7th.) The way this is played on the guitar, starting on the A string goes as:
E--3--|
B--5--|
G--4--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
As you can see, we have, starting on the A string, the root (C), on the D string the 5th (G), on the G string, we have the 7th (B), on the B string we have the 3rd (E), and on the high E string we have the 5th once again.
Now, there is another from of the major 7th that we can utilize starting on the low E string which is formed like:
E--x-- |
B--8--|
G--9--|
D--9--|
A--x-- |
E--8-- |
This one is a little differently played because we are not going to utilize the A string at all, so while playing this, mute the A string by the side of your first finger and the high E string on the side of your 4th finger. For this chord, we have the root (C) on the low E string, the 7th (B) on the D string, the 3rd (E) on the G string and the 5th (G) on the B string.
To build this chord with the root starting on the B string, it would go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--4--|
D--2--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
For this one, we have this form built as: Root (C) on B string, 7th (B) on the G string, 3rd (E) on the D string and 5th (G) on the low E string.
The next chord we will be looking at is the Dominant 7th chord, which is formed by taking the original Major 7th chord form and lowering the 7th one half step or a minor second down to a Bb, so now the formula will be: (C-E-G-Bb) Intervalically, this one can be seen as Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th. On the guitar, starting on the A string root, the chord will be formed as:
E--3--|
B--5--|
G--3--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
For this chord, it’s a good idea to play this barring the notes on the 5th fret with your 1st finger which frees up your second finger and makes the chord easier to play. Starting with the root note on the A string this chord has the same note placement as the major 7th, but all we do is lower the note on the G string one fret down to get the flat 7th.
On the low E string, this would be played like:
E--x--|
B--8--|
G--9--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
For this form, all we did was take the original Major 7th form we had before but just lowered the B down a minor second or one fret down to Bb on the D string. So now we have the Root (C) on the low E, the 7th (Bb) on the D string, the 3rd (E) on the G string and the 5th (G) on the B string.
To build this with the root on the B string, it would go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--2--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
Now this form goes: Root (C) on B string, the flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, the 3rd (E) on the D string and the 5th (G) on the low E string.
Now onto the Minor 7th chord. For this 7th chord, we lower the 7th as well as the 3rd. So with this new information, we have the makeup of a minor 7th chord which is: (C- Eb-G-Bb). Intervalically, this chord can be seen as: (Root, Minor 3rd, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th).
To play this on the guitar, starting on the A string, we take the same Dominant 7th form as before, but we lower the E down one half step or one fret down to an Eb, which will now alter the chord to this shape:
E--3--|
B--4--|
G--3--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
As you can see, this chord has the same basic finger and note placement as the dominant 7th chord form, but all we did was move the E on the B string down a fret to Eb.
So now it would be Root (C) on the A string, 5th (G) on the D string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string and flat 3rd (Eb) on the B string. You can add the 5th on the high E string if you would like, but it’s not required.
For the form with the root on the low E string, it would go like this:
E------|
B--8--|
G--8--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
As you can see, it has the same basic shape as the Dominant 7th form, but we lowered the B on the G string down one fret to a Bb, so now the form would go: root (C) on the low E string, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the G string, and 5th (G) on the B string.
To build this starting with the root on the B string, it would go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--1--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
For this form, we have: Root (C) on the B string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the D string, and 5th on the low E string.
Now, to build a Half Diminished 7th chord, we take the original Minor 7th form we had before and we lower the 5th one half step or a minor second down to Gb, so now the formula for a Half- Diminished 7th chord would go: (C-Eb-Gb-Bb). Intervalically, this chord is seen as: (Root, Minor 3rd, Diminished 5th, Minor 7th)
To build this on the A string, we take the original minor 7th form we had before, but lower the 5th one half step, and this is what we get:
E--3--|
B--4--|
G--3--|
D--4--|
A--3--|
E------|
To play this, just barre your first finger over the 3rd fret and use your second and 3rd fingers to play the Bb and the Eb. We can see the chord is made up as: Root (C)on the A string, flat 5th (Gb) on the D string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string and the flat 3rd (Eb) on the B string.
To build this chord with the root on the low E string, we move the G on the B string down one fret or a minor second to Bb to make the chord shape look like this:
E-----|
B--7--|
G--8--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
We now have this chord form going like this: Root (C) on the low E, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the G string and the flat 5th (Gb) on the B string.
To build this with the root on the B string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--1--|
A--x--|
E--2--|
For this form, we now have: Root (C) on the B string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the D string and the flat 5th (Gb) on the low E string.
Now, to build Diminished 7th chord, we take the original half-diminished form we had before, but now we lower the 7th again and make it a B double flat, which is the same as an A. So now the formula will be: (C-Eb-Gb-Bbb) Thinking of this intervalically, it would go: (Root, Minor 3rd, Diminished 5th, Major 6th). To play this with the root on the A string, it would go as follows:
E--x--|
B--4--|
G--2--|
D--4--|
A--3--|
E------|
Here, we now have the root (C) on the A string, the flat 5th (Gb) on the D string, the Double flat 7th (Bbb) on the G string, and the flat 3rd (Eb) on the B string.
To play this with the root on the low E string, it would go like this:
E-----|
B--7--|
G--8--|
D--7--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
So now we have the root (C) on the E string, Double flat 7th (Bbb) on the D string, Minor 3rd (Eb) on the G string and the Diminished 5th (Bb) on the B string.
The next chord is going to be an Augmented 7th chord. This chord is rairly used in western music, but is good to know anyways for reference purpouses cause you will come across this chord once in a while on jazz lead sheets and such. This chord’s formula is as follows: (C-E-G#-Bb). This chord can also be thought up as a Dominant 7th#5, but we’ll stick with Augmented 7th for now. Intervalically, it can be seen as: (Root, Major 3rd, Augmented 5th, Minor 7th)
The way this would be played starting on the A string would go:
E--4--|
B--5--|
G--3--|
D--6--|
A--3--|
E------|
All we did to build this chord was take the original dominant 7th shape and move the 5th one fret (minor second) higher to G#, so now the chord goes: Root (C) on the A string, sharp 5th (G#) on the D string, Flat 7th (Bb) on the G string and 3rd (E) on the B string.
To play this on the low E string, it would go:
E-----|
B--9--|
G--9--|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
For this form, we have the Root (C) on the low E, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, 3rd (E) on the G string and sharp 5th (G#) on the B string.
To build this starting on the B string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--3--|
D--2--|
A--x--|
E--4--|
For this form, we now have: Root (C) on the B string, flat 7th (Bb) on the G string, 3rd (E) on the D string and the sharp 5th (G#) on the low E string.
The next to last chord is going to be the C7sus4 chord, which should be pretty self explanatory, but if not, all it is, is taking the Dominant 7th form (C-E-G-Bb) and raising the 3rd up one half step to F to create a Dominant7th Suspended 4th chord, where the formula goes: (C-F-G-Bb) Intervalically, this can be seen as (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th) To play this with the root on the A string, it will go:
E--3--|
B--6--|
G--3--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E--x--|
Now all we did was move the E on the B string up a fret/minor second to F, to make it a 4th. So now, it will go: Root (C) on A string, 5th (G) on D string, flat 7th (Bb) on G string and 4th (F) on B string.
To build this with the root on the Low E string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--8--|
G--10-|
D--8--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
For this one, we moved the 3rd E, on the G string one fret higher to give us our 4th, so now it goes: Root (C) on low E, flat 7th (Bb) on the D string, 4th (F) on the G string and the 5th (G) on the B string.
The final chord is going to be a Minor-Major 7th chord. Now, this may be a little odd sounding and a little complicated but in reality, it’s formula is: (C-Eb-G-B) All it is, is just a Minor triad (C-Eb-G) with a major 7th (B) on top of it. Intervalically, this one would go: (Root, Minor 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th)
This chord built on the A string goes:
E------|
B--4--|
G--4--|
D--5--|
A--3--|
E------|
As you can see we have the root (C) on the A string, 5th (G) on the D string, 7th (B) on the G string and 3rd (Eb) on the B string.
To play this on the low E string, it will be formed as follows:
E-----|
B--8--|
G--8--|
D--9--|
A--x--|
E--8--|
We now have the Root (C) on the low E string, 7th (B) on the D string, (3rd ) Eb on the G string and 5th (G) on the B string.
To form this with the root on the B string, it will go:
E--x--|
B--1--|
G--4--|
D--1--|
A--x--|
E--3--|
For this form, we have, starting on the B string: Root (C), 7th (B) on the G string, flat 3rd (Eb) on the D string and the 5th (G) on the low E string,
Phew! That’s a lot of information to swallow all at once, so take your time. I included all these playable chord forms so that you can figure out which ones are easiest for you to play, plus if your in a Jazz situation you can’t be staying on one string with the same chord, so it’s good to know when to utilize chords starting on the low E, A and B strings, cause it’s all about making the smallest possible movement available, and doing it with minimal effort. And as before, let me know if this helped you out or if it was all just a jumbled up piece of **** and was wasting my time. I’m sure that this has some holes in it, so if you have any information that can correct any errors in here, let me know, cause I wrote this up while I was running on micro sleep for a bit but I tried to correct any errors I made before. If you would like me to continue, I’ll go on with part 3. which will go over “Add” chords and the 3 main forms of the 9th chord.