UCL2 - WEEK 3
"Major & Minor 7th Chords
& I SAW THE LIGHT"
In this module you will explore major and minor 7th chords and learn how they are constructed and have a go at playing a fantastic pop song called I SAW THE LIGHT, written by Todd Rundgren back in 1972.
MAJOR 7th CHORDS
A major 7th chord contains the same notes as a major chord, but with an extra note that is located at position 7 in the major scale.
EXAMPLE. A C major chord contains 3 notes which are located at positions 1, 3 & 5 of the C major scale. This gives you the notes: C, E & G.
To turn it into a Major 7th chord you also need to add the 7th note of the C major scale which as illustrated below, is the note, B.
A C major 7th chord is written as Cmaj7 and contains the notes: C, E, G & B.
EXAMPLE. A C major chord contains 3 notes which are located at positions 1, 3 & 5 of the C major scale. This gives you the notes: C, E & G.
To turn it into a Major 7th chord you also need to add the 7th note of the C major scale which as illustrated below, is the note, B.
A C major 7th chord is written as Cmaj7 and contains the notes: C, E, G & B.
So, what is the difference between a major chord and a major 7th you may ask?
The sound of a major 7th chord is characterised by a sense of brightness, fullness, and complexity. The major 7th chord has a rich and vibrant sound, with a distinct quality that is both warm and bright. Overall, the sound of a major 7th chord can be described as smooth, lush, and sophisticated. It is often used in jazz, pop, and classical music to add a sense of richness and depth to melodies and harmonies.
EXERCISE: Try out the chord shapes below. Some of the major 7 chord shapes are nice and easy to play, whereas others, (Fmaj9), can require a bit of finger stretching, but remember, you can always move those barred major 7th shapes up and down the fretboard for alternative chord positions.
The sound of a major 7th chord is characterised by a sense of brightness, fullness, and complexity. The major 7th chord has a rich and vibrant sound, with a distinct quality that is both warm and bright. Overall, the sound of a major 7th chord can be described as smooth, lush, and sophisticated. It is often used in jazz, pop, and classical music to add a sense of richness and depth to melodies and harmonies.
EXERCISE: Try out the chord shapes below. Some of the major 7 chord shapes are nice and easy to play, whereas others, (Fmaj9), can require a bit of finger stretching, but remember, you can always move those barred major 7th shapes up and down the fretboard for alternative chord positions.
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MINOR 7th CHORDS
Minor seventh chords are made up of the same 3 notes as a minor chord (which has a flattended 3rd) plus that 7th note position. Minor 7th chords are written with the root note of the chord followed by a small 'm' and the number '7' so in the case of C minor 7, you would write: Cm7.
Let's break down that Cm7 chord. To find a minor chord using the C major scale, you need to flatten the 3rd note of the scale by 1 semitone, in this case the E becomes an Eb. Then C & G notes remain then all you need to so is add on the 7th note of the scale, which gives you a B note, so a Cm7 chord is made up of C, Eb, G & B.
Let's break down that Cm7 chord. To find a minor chord using the C major scale, you need to flatten the 3rd note of the scale by 1 semitone, in this case the E becomes an Eb. Then C & G notes remain then all you need to so is add on the 7th note of the scale, which gives you a B note, so a Cm7 chord is made up of C, Eb, G & B.
Let's have a go at playing the minor 7ths below and watch the video to see how you can move them about to find the rest of the minor 7th chords.
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Download the PDF on Major & Minor 7ths for class:
SONG 2 - I SAW THE LIGHT
If you have never played a song using major and minor chords before, then this is a great song to try out by Todd Lundgren, called: 'I SAW THE LIGHT'.
It contains the following chords, some of which you will already be familiar with from level 1 and can be played using a simple calypso strum with just one bar per chord throughout the entire song. It also sounds great played with a half-chuck strum, which you will explore in Module 3.
EXERCISE: Download the PDF song sheet below and watch the video below to practice playing the chords for each section of the song. Here are the chords that are contained in the song:
It contains the following chords, some of which you will already be familiar with from level 1 and can be played using a simple calypso strum with just one bar per chord throughout the entire song. It also sounds great played with a half-chuck strum, which you will explore in Module 3.
EXERCISE: Download the PDF song sheet below and watch the video below to practice playing the chords for each section of the song. Here are the chords that are contained in the song:
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Practice playing along with the audio track for your level 2 part and then download the MP3 bleow for the full UCL arrangement which includes all other parts, bass, baritone, level 2.2 & level 3 and drums.
NOW OPEN