A seventh chord is a triad that you add the seventh note to. A dominant seventh chord is a major triad with a minor seventh. A major seventh chord is a major triad with a major seventh. A minor seventh is a minor triad with a minor seventh. There are several others that we will not get into at this time.

When you play a dominant seventh chord before going back to the root chord, it creates tension and release sound that is very satisfying.

Seventh ChordCharacterIntervalsExample Chord
Major SeventhHappy1-3-5-7Cmaj7 – C E G B
Minor SeventhSad1-b3-5-b7Cm7 – C Eb G Bb
Dominant SeventhUnstable & Tense1-3-5-b7C7 – C E G Bb
Minor/Major SeventhMysterious & Tense1-b3-5-7Cm/Maj7 – C Eb G B
Minor Seventh Flat 5Dark & Tense1-b3-b5-b7Cm7b5 – C Eb Gb Bb
Diminished SeventhDark & Tense1-b3-b5-*7Cdim7 – C Eb G A
Augmented SeventhUnsettled1-3-#5-b7Caug7 – C E G# Bb

There are several seventh chord shapes that are portable and can be played anywhere on the neck.

Portable Seventh chord with the root notes on the 5th and 2nd strings

Portable Seventh chord with the root note on the 4th string

Portable Minor Seventh chord with the root note on the 5th string

Portable Minor Seventh chord with the root notes on the 6th and 1st strings

Explore More

Basic Chords and Variations

Basic Chords and Variations Chart

Reading Guitar Tab

Throughout these lessons there will be Guitar Tabs. Tab is short for Tablature. Like the one following: Guitar tab is the fingering of each note laid out in a visual

Finger Picking – Alternating Bass

Let’s focus on alternating our bass line on the lowest strings. Use the metronome and play a quarter note one note on each beat. Count aloud as you play 1-2-3-4.