Don,

Yeah, I'm aware of the chords formed by other instruments going on, like the voice. It's just the non-masterful maj 7th attempts that get me.

Guess I have no choice but to explore the maj 7th until I can find something that doesn't sound cheesy to me. Already, I know "Something" doesn't bother me...maybe I'll become a convert.

This kind of brings up a point -- Does melodic taste evolve with age? I'm not talking about sophistication here, just preferences.