I Love Major Seventh Chords!

Subject: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mbo
Date: 31 May 00 - 07:00 PM

Y'know what? I've found that I am obsessed with Major Seventh chords---I've found at least one in every song I've written, and I always seem to manage them into other songs I sing, sometimes very subtly and almost undetected. Anyone else out there want to share experiences!

--Mbo (how's this for a music thread?)

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: GUEST
Date: 31 May 00 - 07:01 PM

Ninths. Lots of ninths in those down and dirty blues tunes.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Lanfranc
Date: 31 May 00 - 07:15 PM

I'm with you Mbo. I've loved the Major Seventh ever since "Bookends" came out, and sneak them in whenever I can.

Ideal for fooling melodeon players and such.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mark Clark
Date: 31 May 00 - 07:54 PM

Picture you upon my knee, (Bbm7, Eb9, Bbm7, Eb7)
Just tea for two and two for tea... (Abmaj7, Ab6, Abmaj7, Ab6)

      - Mark

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mark Clark
Date: 31 May 00 - 08:05 PM

Oops, that Eb7 at the end of the first line above should read as an Eb9. I know, I know, the tune is written as Eb7 but guitarists usually play it as an Eb9 and since the first one is a ninth, the second should be as well.

Also note that I employed Walter Corey's system of adding chords to songs in threads.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Callie
Date: 31 May 00 - 09:06 PM

The major seventh chord has a special resonance about it. It's beautiful and rich. And great to play on a guitar - cmaj7 is a great way to end a song coz you can give it a good strong strum. Same with F and G.

I have to be careful not to over-use it. I like to end vocal arrangements with a maj 7 chord, but I reckon soon the others are going to start rolling their eyes "not again!". SO I try to alternate major seventh endings with sus4 endings. Both are kind of unexpected in folk contexts where straight chords are mainly heard. In jazz of course, they're staple diet!

Mbo- I noticed when I played a maj7 chord in a HearMe session you picked up on it straight away (from several continents away!). Such is the quirky, beautiful nature of this chord!

--Callie

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Peter T.
Date: 31 May 00 - 09:40 PM

Great use of maj7s: Cole Porter's Don't Fence Me In.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Pene Azul
Date: 31 May 00 - 10:05 PM

Yes, Mbo, it can be such a romantic chord...
...Color My World...
PA

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: GUEST
Date: 31 May 00 - 11:11 PM

Always had a problem with maj7 in any but the "open" chords, e.g., Cmaj7... Anyone else ever incorporate them into the barre chords by bending back the middle finger over the third and fourth strings? Works pretty well with a modicum of practice...but you have to be careful that you don't mute or note the second string with your middle-fingered "mini-barre."

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Crowhugger
Date: 31 May 00 - 11:56 PM

Wow, "sometimes subtly" and "sneak them in"? How do you do that with such a distinctive and identifiable sound?!! This is a serious question as well as an expression of surprise. I think of myself as pretty musically aware, yet I can't imagine any major 7th sounding subtle. Take it away and you have gesso where there was once a fine painting. IMHO of course.

CH. (back from sick-land)

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: mactheturk
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 08:54 AM

Monday morning was an Em chord but Friday afternoon was definitely an Amaj7.....

Mac

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: GUEST,arnie
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 09:27 AM

I sneak them them in to some songs sometimes - mainly jazzy stuff. First chord I use in intro to Swinging on a Star! Some pop players over use them a lot, to the point where it can get downright distasteful, but handled with care they can fit in well. They can even work to accompany fiddle tunes once in a while - but I wouldn't use it for The Arkansas Traveller.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Crowhugger
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 10:19 AM

Now, Arnie, that is indeed a notion, a major 7th in Arkansas Traveller! Maybe all-muzak radio would pick it up.

CH.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mbo
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 12:21 PM

Hey yeah GUEST! I use the major 7th barre all the time. On great song I know has you going from G up to Ebmaj7, down to Bbmaj7, back to Bbmaj7, etc. Crow, it's easy to sneak them in. You play a Cmaj7, and very very quickly hammer on the C note and then play the C chord, barely noticable! Also, some major 7ths don't rings as well as others, like an open Emaj7 is kinda murky, so you can fit it in places!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: BlueJay
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 01:41 PM

Wish I was an English Muffin,
'Bout to make the most out of a toaster,
I'd ease myself down,
Comin' up brown,
I prefer boysenberry more than any ordinary jam,
I'm a citizen for boysenberry jam, fan.

Alan Francis, I'm with you on this. "Bookends" was the album that taught me to appreciate the Maj 7. Punky's Dilemma, America, Old friends, maybe others. Great album, great chord.

MBO- thanks for the memory jolt. I really haven't used the chord lately, but I will now. "Ride the wind, let your dreams flow, you will touch, all you need to know..." BlueJay

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 01:50 PM

Just a quick note for anyone who may NOT know exactly what we're talkin about here.

Play a C chord. Now add the Bb note on the 3rd string. Sounds bluesy right. It's a C chord with a b7. We call it "C7"

Play the C chord again, and remove your index finger from the 2nd string. Play it. Sounds mellow...jazzy..laid back.

That's a C chord with a Major 7th. Noted in books as "Cmaj7".

I appologize if this is too obvious, but I know sometimes folks get them confused.

Good thread Mbo

Rick

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: GUEST,Mbo_at_ECU
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 04:15 PM

Hmmm... I have a book that has an "optional" way of writing major 7th chords, with a small triangle or "delta" symbol instead of the word "maj". Since this computer I'm using doesn't have Word, it's kinda hard to illustrate, but it's like C (delta symbol)7. When writing out songs, I always write them in this format. Has anyone else ever seen this before?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: paddymac
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 05:09 PM

If you like major 7ths, you'll really love the barber shop idiom. It's the core of that tradition.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Pene Azul
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 05:39 PM

Yes, Mbo, I have seen the delta notation. I'd stay away from it since most people wouldn't recognize it. It's interesting how there can be so many ways of expressing the same musical concept, much like some of the sybolism in mathematics.

PA

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: GUEST,Lucius
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 07:23 PM

When writing charts, I prefer the delta symbol over the Maj7 notation. Then again I pefer the minus (-) over written "min" when writing chords of the same. Many jazz charts leave the player to intuit where to use the major seventh by watching the relationships of the ii and V chords. I generally feel that less reading means quicker hands.

While on the subject of non-jazz uses of Major sevenths, what about John Sebastian's "I had a Dream"?

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mbo
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 07:29 PM

A song I wrote, "Say Goodbye," and a Tolkien poem I set to music, "Habbanan Beneath The Stars" have melodies that are made up of major 7th chords almost exclusively. Very dreamy...

--Mbo

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: kendall
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 08:36 PM

My favorite chord is a Dm with the low e dropped down to D. The Em position on a 12 string also gets your attention, especially if the whole ax is tuned down to D. And then there's Gordon Boks 12 string tuned down to C. In Peter Kagan he hits a note on that thing that sounds like the last trump.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mbo
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 08:42 PM

Kendall, what does this have to do with major seventh chords? **BG**

--Mbo

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: kendall
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 09:47 PM

Nothing..are we restricting ourselves to just major sevenths? If so why? I thought it was about a particular sound that appeals to us. No?

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mbo
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 09:50 PM

Ummm....hmmm...maybe I should start a "What Chord Do You Love" thread instead?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Brakn
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 09:58 PM

Night and day, you are the one.
Bbmaj7 A7 Dmaj7 Ebdim

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 12:33 AM

That whippersnapper sure told you Kendall! Cut 'em down to size with some of that Maine humour!

Rick

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Pene Azul
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 12:50 AM

Lydian scales have a nice jazzy sound over major 7th chords. A lydian scale is a major scale with a raised 4th, like starting at F and playing all white keys.

In C, a lydian scale is C D E F# G A B C

Likewise, a maj7#11 (like C E G B F#) has a nice jazzy sound. Also maj9#11 (like C E G B D F#).

PA

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mark Clark
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 02:02 AM

Brakn,

That's pretty. I'm guessing here but tell me if this is what you intended for fingering.

Night and day, you are the one...   (Bbmaj7, A7, Dmaj7, Ebdim)

      - Mark

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Brakn
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 06:01 AM

Similar Mark

Night and (Bbmaj7)day, (A7)you are the (Dmaj7)one (Ebdim)

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: kendall
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 08:07 AM

Didnt mean to cut him down to size. Just thought it curious that he didnt have a problem with the poster who mentioned 9ths. Anyway, I started a thread on pleasing sounds.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Lanfranc
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 10:02 AM

For a song with a challenging chord sequence (and lots of major 7ths), try Peter Paul and Mary's "Whatshername" from Album 1700.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 12:01 PM

Here's a jazzy little descending chord progression that gets used in lots of songs - from Tito Puentes' "Oye, Como Va" (to introduce a little cross-threading) as done by Santana on the live CD Sacred Fire (where I picked it up) to The Beatles' "Something." Naturally it could be done with any minor chord as the starting chord, but Am seems to be the easiest for illustrative purposes:

Start with an Am barre at the fifth fret: Am - Ammaj7 - Am7 - Am6.

Basically, the only thing changing from chord to chord is the note played on the fourth string - from A at the 7th fret to G#, then G, then F# - a half-step decrease each time. For me, the Am6 fingering is most easily attained by: open A (5th string), index finger barre at the fourth fret across the first four strings, with middle finger barre at the fifth fret across the first three strings.

Play it once and you'll realize you've heard this progression in a countless number of songs.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mbo
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 12:15 PM

One that I found the Electric Light Orchestra LOVES, (as do I) is major, major 7th, seventh, eg. "Can't get It Out Of My Head" G - Gmaj7 -G7. GUEST, Jim Croce uses the Dm - Dmin maj7 - Dm7 - Dm6 in "Time In A Bottle". I agree, you never realize how much you've heard it and not noticed. And what a great progression it is, too!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: GUEST,lucius
Date: 02 Jun 00 - 04:46 PM

Not to cloud the issue, but is Jim Croce's use of the C# bass on a d-7 chord really a maj 7th or is it just another example of descending bass. The tune "Mr. Bojangles" uses the same descending bass, and to my ear it hardly sounds like a major seventh. I like to hear a richer tonal harmony, perhaps a flat ninth or diminished dominant chord before I identify a chord as acting as a major seventh. But then again, it's probably in the ear of the beholder.

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: kendall
Date: 03 Jun 00 - 08:07 AM

If Mr. Bojangles is considered "blues", then I take back some of what I said in the Pleasing sounds thread

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Mbo
Date: 03 Jun 00 - 12:11 PM

Lucius, you're right! It is technically a major seventh chord, but it's SO much easier to write D7/C#. The real chord spelling would actually be a might more complicated that Dmaj7. Just to give you some example, an Am/F# is technically a F#m7b5.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: Frankham
Date: 03 Jun 00 - 07:22 PM

Lucius,

The chord is d minor (major seventh). You would write it Dm (maj7) or Dm/C#. Even as a passing bass tone, the suggestion of the chord is a d minor (major seventh).

Frank

Subject: RE: I Love Major Seventh Chords!
From: rusty mahone
Date: 03 Jun 00 - 09:36 PM

Never mind youre Major 7th chords. Check the #7b9 chord, or perhaps a sus 4th or sus 2nd. Allthough a Major-M7-7 chord prog does sound really rather quite nice.