7 means the seventh note of the scale but it s a minor seventh even in a major chord. It only becomes a a major seventh if it is written maj7. If you are not scale savy, count backwards from your root note two half steps; that s your minor seventh, and move it up an octave ( unless you like how it sounds inverted in the bass like that).... major seventh is just one half step bellow. The reasons people use minor seventh in major chords are many but try it out, it has a nice push/pull to it and it keeps the chord penatonic, which is pretty much the universal scale of all cultures. There s math-y reasons for it ,too that have to do with the tempered piano and how that cheats physics but meh, no need to get into that. You ll.also see 9,11,13 etc. Same thing.... the 9th is just the 2nd note of the scale moved up an octave ... etc. For the other numbers.... all this is chord coloring but it makes for nice tension/resolution. 9's are really awesome in chords, i think.
That chart might be a bit complex for some to understand.
A number added to a chord in a simple sense adds a note.... A natural 7th adds jist that note from the bass root of your chord (wether it is played or not) a flat 7th is just that.
Basic chord types to start with for example in the key of C.
Cmaj C E G (notes in any position are fine.... G C E etx....)
Cmin C Eb (flat third) G
Typically the 3rd and 7th are linked in state, so that means natural would be E and B, where as flat would be Eb and Bb....
So.....
Cmaj7 is C E G B
Cmin7 is C Eb G Bb
Chords' notes can be in any order.
C E G B or B C E G or G B C E
Or mix it up a little and change your bass root note...
C E G B / A
B C E G / D
Experiment with different chords or scales with different bass notes or bass note scales, and it will open a new world of runs and progressions for your tracks....
A circle of 5th chart. I believe is alot better, i think. Why? For harmony of what key u may want related two any key u start or end with.
And it really is just staying within range of what give a blend. Or adds spice two the previous chords. From the circle of fifth u can get a minor or major 9th if this is intended. Soo working with the 7th is just following the circle of fifth and can be used for either guitar or keyboard. I learned it for the piano.
now finding a chart maybe easy but how read the circle of fifth for beginners may not be. Idk if i can show it. Because it's also a relationship of how the keys sound. If it's off then it maybe a key or a note lower or higher than what it suppose two be.
and dat chart seems two get intwo your modes. Like dorian mode, i-oian mode, locian mode, and there is another one maybe two i'm missing so yea this chart is advanced.
I stognly believe that all sort of musical theory is bad for your creativity. Personally I allready know too much of it and it holds me back to great extent, I which there was a way to erase that knowledge :).
i have to disagree with you. but the more you know the more you have to fight to not use it. Music theory is a description of things heard not a formulae that can be followed to create music.
Sorry but I need to correct something you wrote so that others don't get confused.(Sorry if it was just a typo.)
A major 7th chord is not written m7. That is a minor 7th chord based on a minor triad plus the flattened seventh.
A major 7th is written as maj7 or often in jazz with a triangle symbol. So Cmaj7 or C triangle.
Confusingly when you see a chord such as Cmaj7 the 'maj' bit refers to the 7th being a major seventh interval from the note C. Whereas with a Cmin7 chord the 'min' bit refers to the chord flavour not the 7th so a C minor triad.
The 7 always refers to the flattened 7th unless stated otherwise.....so C7, Cmin7 both use the flattened 7th. You can for example have a C minor major 7th chord (usually written Cm triangle) which is simply a C minor triad with an added major 7th so C,Eb, G, B........NICE!!
It can help to understand this stuff a bit especially if you're trying to communicate musical ideas to other musicians who understand some theory but as Pan65 says it can sometimes hold you back. Ultimately my advice would be to use your ears and don't worry what it's called. If it sounds good, use it!
I always thought the capital letter M meant the major if u was two short-hand the term further. Lower case meant minor but..... dim for diminish chords. Or adding the short-hand further two a diminish chord is confusing two me!! Cause if i'm transposing and i wanna go this route with d for the key verses the dim chord. And win u get in deep of transpose i just get lost!!!
My personal take does too much knowledge of music theory stifle? I would say and i do!!! It loosely. Enuff structure two say i applied structure!!! And i let dat zhit go!!!! Cause before the theory did i know how two play? No! Indecisive. So the theory two me!!! Gives more focused direction with a direct intent of what key i wanna start from or what i feeling is it this or lower. Or even higher!!! I never know. And my piano skills aint as good as someone u can say what key and pick right up and play any song hell no!!! Not me!!
but i don't aspire two dat good with any instrument. Only enuff two get my ideas down and release what i feel get some of dat tension out. Somewhere in this is the masterpiece we all are working on. But how??? Idk!!
I remember in one of my music classes i had been introduced two t he roman #'s two the song with the tonic and subtonic and dominant and i don't know enuff of it!!! But this chart up above is illustration of this sort of thang i believe.
Yeah I know, I should have written it maj7, I looked back over it and didn't bother to change it because I'm a lazy arse... Thanks for clearing that up, that could have been confusing. I ll edit it now so as not to screw anyone up.
I don't wanna get too deep into the theory vs. No theory thing so I ll keep it brief.
My friend Yuko refuses to listen to very much other music, she plays pretty wild out there stuff and says it keeps her fresh to not hear anything like what she does. Works for her.
For me, I'm glad I know how to get myself out of corner when I get stuck; helps to have some tricks up the sleeve, but to each their own.
Yes you're right Derrti, capital M is sometimes used instead of maj in a major 7 chord but most of the time I've seen it as either maj7 or the triangle symbol.
Diminished is either dim or a circle symbol. Half diminished (m7b5) is written as a circle with a diagonal line through it.
There are two or three different systems in use which just makes it more confusing for beginners...
Having been learning theory over the past year, I'm really glad I took the time. It has helped me to find that happy sound I was looking for when playing with the keys always found me sad. On the other hand, I have noticed it is often a great idea to break the rules that learning theory sets up in your head. It keeps things fresh. Then later, I look back at that rule breaking, and see that it fit because of more excellent theory I hadn't yet looked at.
What does 7 mean?
It means you add the 7th note in the scale.
My Soundcloud profile is _dredge_
7 means the seventh note of the scale but it s a minor seventh even in a major chord. It only becomes a a major seventh if it is written maj7. If you are not scale savy, count backwards from your root note two half steps; that s your minor seventh, and move it up an octave ( unless you like how it sounds inverted in the bass like that).... major seventh is just one half step bellow. The reasons people use minor seventh in major chords are many but try it out, it has a nice push/pull to it and it keeps the chord penatonic, which is pretty much the universal scale of all cultures. There s math-y reasons for it ,too that have to do with the tempered piano and how that cheats physics but meh, no need to get into that. You ll.also see 9,11,13 etc. Same thing.... the 9th is just the 2nd note of the scale moved up an octave ... etc. For the other numbers.... all this is chord coloring but it makes for nice tension/resolution. 9's are really awesome in chords, i think.
That chart might be a bit complex for some to understand.
A number added to a chord in a simple sense adds a note.... A natural 7th adds jist that note from the bass root of your chord (wether it is played or not) a flat 7th is just that.
Basic chord types to start with for example in the key of C.
Cmaj C E G (notes in any position are fine.... G C E etx....)
Cmin C Eb (flat third) G
Typically the 3rd and 7th are linked in state, so that means natural would be E and B, where as flat would be Eb and Bb....
So.....
Cmaj7 is C E G B
Cmin7 is C Eb G Bb
Chords' notes can be in any order.
C E G B or B C E G or G B C E
Or mix it up a little and change your bass root note...
C E G B / A
B C E G / D
Experiment with different chords or scales with different bass notes or bass note scales, and it will open a new world of runs and progressions for your tracks....
A circle of 5th chart. I believe is alot better, i think. Why? For harmony of what key u may want related two any key u start or end with.
And it really is just staying within range of what give a blend. Or adds spice two the previous chords. From the circle of fifth u can get a minor or major 9th if this is intended. Soo working with the 7th is just following the circle of fifth and can be used for either guitar or keyboard. I learned it for the piano.
now finding a chart maybe easy but how read the circle of fifth for beginners may not be. Idk if i can show it. Because it's also a relationship of how the keys sound. If it's off then it maybe a key or a note lower or higher than what it suppose two be.
and dat chart seems two get intwo your modes. Like dorian mode, i-oian mode, locian mode, and there is another one maybe two i'm missing so yea this chart is advanced.
I stognly believe that all sort of musical theory is bad for your creativity. Personally I allready know too much of it and it holds me back to great extent, I which there was a way to erase that knowledge :).
i have to disagree with you. but the more you know the more you have to fight to not use it. Music theory is a description of things heard not a formulae that can be followed to create music.
http://a773.dk/
@Ian
Sorry but I need to correct something you wrote so that others don't get confused.(Sorry if it was just a typo.)
A major 7th chord is not written m7. That is a minor 7th chord based on a minor triad plus the flattened seventh.
A major 7th is written as maj7 or often in jazz with a triangle symbol. So Cmaj7 or C triangle.
Confusingly when you see a chord such as Cmaj7 the 'maj' bit refers to the 7th being a major seventh interval from the note C. Whereas with a Cmin7 chord the 'min' bit refers to the chord flavour not the 7th so a C minor triad.
The 7 always refers to the flattened 7th unless stated otherwise.....so C7, Cmin7 both use the flattened 7th. You can for example have a C minor major 7th chord (usually written Cm triangle) which is simply a C minor triad with an added major 7th so C,Eb, G, B........NICE!!
It can help to understand this stuff a bit especially if you're trying to communicate musical ideas to other musicians who understand some theory but as Pan65 says it can sometimes hold you back. Ultimately my advice would be to use your ears and don't worry what it's called. If it sounds good, use it!
I always thought the capital letter M meant the major if u was two short-hand the term further. Lower case meant minor but..... dim for diminish chords. Or adding the short-hand further two a diminish chord is confusing two me!! Cause if i'm transposing and i wanna go this route with d for the key verses the dim chord. And win u get in deep of transpose i just get lost!!!
My personal take does too much knowledge of music theory stifle? I would say and i do!!! It loosely. Enuff structure two say i applied structure!!! And i let dat zhit go!!!! Cause before the theory did i know how two play? No! Indecisive. So the theory two me!!! Gives more focused direction with a direct intent of what key i wanna start from or what i feeling is it this or lower. Or even higher!!! I never know. And my piano skills aint as good as someone u can say what key and pick right up and play any song hell no!!! Not me!!
but i don't aspire two dat good with any instrument. Only enuff two get my ideas down and release what i feel get some of dat tension out. Somewhere in this is the masterpiece we all are working on. But how??? Idk!!
I remember in one of my music classes i had been introduced two t he roman #'s two the song with the tonic and subtonic and dominant and i don't know enuff of it!!! But this chart up above is illustration of this sort of thang i believe.
Yeah I know, I should have written it maj7, I looked back over it and didn't bother to change it because I'm a lazy arse... Thanks for clearing that up, that could have been confusing. I ll edit it now so as not to screw anyone up.
I don't wanna get too deep into the theory vs. No theory thing so I ll keep it brief.
My friend Yuko refuses to listen to very much other music, she plays pretty wild out there stuff and says it keeps her fresh to not hear anything like what she does. Works for her.
For me, I'm glad I know how to get myself out of corner when I get stuck; helps to have some tricks up the sleeve, but to each their own.
Yes you're right Derrti, capital M is sometimes used instead of maj in a major 7 chord but most of the time I've seen it as either maj7 or the triangle symbol.
Diminished is either dim or a circle symbol. Half diminished (m7b5) is written as a circle with a diagonal line through it.
There are two or three different systems in use which just makes it more confusing for beginners...
Having been learning theory over the past year, I'm really glad I took the time. It has helped me to find that happy sound I was looking for when playing with the keys always found me sad. On the other hand, I have noticed it is often a great idea to break the rules that learning theory sets up in your head. It keeps things fresh. Then later, I look back at that rule breaking, and see that it fit because of more excellent theory I hadn't yet looked at.
Thanks for this chart. I'll play with it.