Major 7th Guitar Chords
maj7 chords for beginners
Major 7th chords are a 4 note chord having a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major 7th. They are a major triad with an added major 7th.
- They are written as maj7, M7, Δ, ⑦... the most common is maj7
- Stacking thirds: Root - Major 3rd (3) - Minor 3rd (5) - Major 3rd (7)
- The chord formula is 1 - 3 - 5 - 7
Example: Calculating Dmaj7
- maj7 Chords consist of the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th notes of the Major Scale
- D chords are based on the D major scale
- D major scale reads as follows: D - E - F# - G# - A - B - C#
- Formula for maj7 chords: 1 - 3 - 5 - 7
- Substitute the notes into the formula
- Dmaj7 reads as follows: D - F# - A - C#
The practice song for this session using maj7 chords is 'Imagine' written and performed by John Lennon.
| (maj7) | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ | E | F | F#/G♭ | G | G#/A♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ | E | F | F#/G♭ | G | G#/A♭ |
| Major 3rd | C# | Cx/D | D# | E | E#/F | F# | Fx/G | G# | A | A#/B♭ | B | B#/C |
| Perfect 5th | E | E#/F | F# | G | G#/A♭ | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ |
| Major 7th | G# | Gx/A | A# | B | B#/C | C# | Cx/D | D# | E | E#/F | F# | Fx/G |
Major 7th Chords - Right Handers
Chord Chart Legend
Major 7th Chords - Left Handers
Chord Chart Legend
