Page 21Minor Seventh Chords
Adding the note that is one tone (full step) below the root of a minor chord produces a minor seventh. C minor C Eb
G becomes C Eb G Bb. In traditional harmony it occurs on the I, IV and V chords if these are derived from the
natural minor scale, and on chords II, III and VI of a major scale. Another way of looking at a minor seventh is to
think of it as a major triad superimposed on a minor triad (C Eb G = C minor; Eb G Bb = Eb major), the opposite of
the major seventh.
The minor seventh is a diluted version of the minor chord. It has a sad quality but is not as sad as the straight minor.
Use it where you feel the minor would be too depressing, and for combining with majors. A song written entirely in
minor sevenths would be less depressing than one written entirely in minors. Minor sevenths combine nicely with
major sevenths – a well-known trick in soul music. Try an ascending I II III IV sequence like C Dm Em F and then
play it like this: Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7.
There are open-string minor sevenths for Am7, Bm7, Dm7, Em7 and Gm7
The Minor/Major Seventh Chord
This chord is formed by adding the note that is one semitone (half-step) below the root of a minor chord. C minor C
Eb G becomes C Eb G B. This is a tense chord with a strange sound that is not exactly sad or happy – more like
threatening. In pop songs, it is usually found only as a passing chord between the minor and the minor seventh: try
Cm Cm/maj7 Cm7. On the guitar, this is most easily done from Am, Dm or Em. Minor/major sevenths tend to crop
up in soundtrack music for horror and thriller films. John Barry used them in the soundtracks of the 1960s James
Bond films. You will find one in the coda of 'That Means A Lot'.
Minor/major seventh chord shapes