Do your songs consist largely of Major and Minor Triad chords? Are you looking for ways to make them more interesting? One way is to add Seventh chords.
Triads are the most fundamental chords. They are built beginning with a Root note. This is the note from which the chord takes its name. For instance, a C chord will have a C note as its root. Triads will also include the 3rd and the 5th. Take any note from a scale, making that the root, then add the third and fifth, and Voila! You've got yourself a chord. The 3rd will fall a half-step lower in sequence in a Minor chord than in a Major chord.
This is very easy to conceptualize on a piano keyboard, but it is a bit tricky to visualize on the guitar fretboard. I usually explain chord construction to my guitar students using a keyboard, and then I let them know that on the guitar the theory is the same, but the fretboard patterns can be a little confusing at first.
These three notes (the Root, 3rd, and 5th) are the basis of a basic Triad chord. From here, the octave of any of these notes can be added. The octave is the next higher occurrence of the same pitch. The order of these notes can also be re-arranged, creating different Voicings of the chord. This is how, for instance, on a guitar there are different ways to play a given chord. You can, for example, play a G in open or barred position. These two versions of the same chord will use the three pitches in different orders and repeat some of them an octave higher, giving the chords different Voicings.
Continuing in the manner above, a seventh chord will contain the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th note from the starting point within a scale. The seventh will occur one note before the Octave, the octave being a repeat of the Root note at a higher pitch.
When building Seventh chords from major and minor triads here are three different variations: Major Sevenths, Dominant Sevenths, and Minor Sevenths. A Major Seventh chord is a major chord with a seventh that falls a half-step (1 pitch) below the octave. A Dominant Seventh chord is also a major chord, but with a seventh that falls a whole-step (2 pitches) below the octave. Dominant Seventh chords are also just called Seventh chords. Minor Sevenths are Minor chords with a seventh note that falls a whole-step (2 pitches) below the octave. (This is always the case with Minor Sevenths). Major Sevenths have a pretty sound, while Dominant Sevenths are more dissonant. Minor Sevenths sound more open, but keep in mind, all of this is largely a matter of interpretation.
Adding Seventh chords is a great way to add flavor to Rock, Folk, or Country music, which revolve largely around Triads.
On the other hand, if you write in a style that already uses the 7th of the chords, you can change it up by striping your chords down to Triads.
If you write Blues songs you have most likely realized that the Blues utilizes Dominant Seventh chords almost exclusively. You could try turning all your blues chords into triads and playing them with a straight feel rather than a shuffle. A lot of great rock tunes have emerged from this technique. You could also try turning the I and IV chords into Major Seventh chords, which would transform your Blues Song into a Major key chord progression. (In the key of C Major I, IV, and V chords would then be Cmaj7, Fmaj7, and G7, respectively, but in C Blues they would all be Dominant Seventh chords).
So add a few sevenths, and take a few away. Open up some new sound palates for your songs with sevenths, and you will quickly find yourself in Seventh Chord Heaven.
Triads are the most fundamental chords. They are built beginning with a Root note. This is the note from which the chord takes its name. For instance, a C chord will have a C note as its root. Triads will also include the 3rd and the 5th. Take any note from a scale, making that the root, then add the third and fifth, and Voila! You've got yourself a chord. The 3rd will fall a half-step lower in sequence in a Minor chord than in a Major chord.
This is very easy to conceptualize on a piano keyboard, but it is a bit tricky to visualize on the guitar fretboard. I usually explain chord construction to my guitar students using a keyboard, and then I let them know that on the guitar the theory is the same, but the fretboard patterns can be a little confusing at first.
These three notes (the Root, 3rd, and 5th) are the basis of a basic Triad chord. From here, the octave of any of these notes can be added. The octave is the next higher occurrence of the same pitch. The order of these notes can also be re-arranged, creating different Voicings of the chord. This is how, for instance, on a guitar there are different ways to play a given chord. You can, for example, play a G in open or barred position. These two versions of the same chord will use the three pitches in different orders and repeat some of them an octave higher, giving the chords different Voicings.
Continuing in the manner above, a seventh chord will contain the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th note from the starting point within a scale. The seventh will occur one note before the Octave, the octave being a repeat of the Root note at a higher pitch.
When building Seventh chords from major and minor triads here are three different variations: Major Sevenths, Dominant Sevenths, and Minor Sevenths. A Major Seventh chord is a major chord with a seventh that falls a half-step (1 pitch) below the octave. A Dominant Seventh chord is also a major chord, but with a seventh that falls a whole-step (2 pitches) below the octave. Dominant Seventh chords are also just called Seventh chords. Minor Sevenths are Minor chords with a seventh note that falls a whole-step (2 pitches) below the octave. (This is always the case with Minor Sevenths). Major Sevenths have a pretty sound, while Dominant Sevenths are more dissonant. Minor Sevenths sound more open, but keep in mind, all of this is largely a matter of interpretation.
Adding Seventh chords is a great way to add flavor to Rock, Folk, or Country music, which revolve largely around Triads.
On the other hand, if you write in a style that already uses the 7th of the chords, you can change it up by striping your chords down to Triads.
If you write Blues songs you have most likely realized that the Blues utilizes Dominant Seventh chords almost exclusively. You could try turning all your blues chords into triads and playing them with a straight feel rather than a shuffle. A lot of great rock tunes have emerged from this technique. You could also try turning the I and IV chords into Major Seventh chords, which would transform your Blues Song into a Major key chord progression. (In the key of C Major I, IV, and V chords would then be Cmaj7, Fmaj7, and G7, respectively, but in C Blues they would all be Dominant Seventh chords).
So add a few sevenths, and take a few away. Open up some new sound palates for your songs with sevenths, and you will quickly find yourself in Seventh Chord Heaven.
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