This chapter shows you how to play what are known as open-position 7th chords. Seventh chords are no more difficult to play than are the simple major or minor chords described in Book 2 Chapter 1, but their sound is more complex (because they’re made up of four different notes instead of three), and their use in music is a little more specialized.
The situation is kind of like that of the knives in your kitchen. Any big, sharp knife can cut both a pizza and a pineapple, but if you spend a lot of time doing either, you figure out that you need to use the circular-bladed gizmo for the pizza and a cleaver for the pineapple. These utensils may not be as versatile or as popular as your general-purpose knives, but if you’re making Hawaiian-style pizza, nothing beats ’em. The more your culinary skills develop, the more you appreciate specialized cutlery. Likewise, the more your ear skills develop, the more you understand where to substitute 7th chords for the more ordinary major and minor chords. The different 7th chords can make the blues sound bluesy and jazz sound jazzy.
Seventh chords come in several varieties, and each type has a different sound, or quality. This chapter introduces you to the three most important types of 7th chords you’ll encounter: dominant 7th, minor 7th, and major 7th.
Dominant 7th Chords
Dominant seems a funny, technical name for a chord that’s called a plain “seven” if you group it with a letter-name chord symbol. If you say just C7 or A7, for example, you’re referring to a dominant 7th chord.
Actually, the term dominant refers to the 5th degree of a major scale — which is called the dominant.
The important thing is that you call the chords in the following sections “dominant 7ths” to distinguish them from other types of 7th chords (minor 7ths and major 7ths, discussed later in this chapter). Note, too, that dominant has nothing whatsoever to do with leather and studded collars. You can hear the sound of dominant 7ths in such songs as Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs’ “Wooly Bully,” the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” and Oasis’s “Roll with It.”
D7, G7, and C7
The D7, G7, and C7 chords are among the most common of the open dominant 7ths. Figure 2-1 shows you diagrams of these three chords that guitarists often use together to play songs.
If you already know how to play C (introduced in Book 2 Chapter 1), you can form C7 by simply adding your pinky on the 3rd string at the 3rd fret.
Notice the Xs above the 5th and 6th strings on the D7 chord. Don’t play those strings as you strum. Similarly, for the C7 chord, don’t play the 6th string as you strum. Check out the right-hand motion in Video Clip 9 to see what your right hand should look like.
Practice strumming D7, G7, and C7. You don’t need written music for this exercise, so you’re on the honor system to do it. Try strumming D7 four times, G7 four times, and then C7 four times. You want to accustom your left hand to the feel of the chords themselves and to switching among them.
If you want to play a song right now with these new chords, skip to the section “Playing Songs with 7th Chords,” later in this chapter. You can play “Home on the Range” with the chords you know right now.
E7 (the two-finger version) and A7
Two more 7th chords you often use together to play songs are the E7 and A7 chords. Figure 2-2 shows how you play these two open 7th chords.
If you know how to play E (check out the previous chapter), you can form E7 by simply removing your 3rd finger from the 4th string.
This version of the E7 chord, as Figure 2-2 shows, uses only two fingers. You can also play an open position E7 chord with four fingers (as described in the following section). For now, though, play the two-finger version, because it’s easier to fret quickly, especially if you’re just starting out.
Practice E7 and A7 by strumming each chord four times, switching back and forth between them. Be sure to avoid striking the 6th string on the A7 chord.
If you want to play a song that uses these two open 7th chords right now, skip to the section “Playing Songs with 7th Chords,” later in this chapter, and play “All Through the Night.”
E7 (the four-finger version) and B7
Two more popular open-position 7th chords are the four-finger version of E7 and the B7 chord. Figure 2-3 shows you how to finger the four-finger E7 and the B7 chords. Most people think that this E7 has a better voicing (vertical arrangement of notes) than does the two-finger E7. You often use the B7 chord along with E7 to play certain songs.
FIGURE 2-3: Chord diagrams for E7 (the four-finger version) and B7.
Be sure to avoid striking the 6th string on the B7 chord.
If you already know how to play E (see previous chapter), you can form this E7 by simply adding your pinky on the 2nd string at the 3rd fret.
Practice these chords by strumming each one four times, switching back and forth. As you do so, notice that your 2nd finger plays the same note at the same fret in each chord — the one at the 2nd fret of the 5th string. This note is a common tone (that is, it’s common to both chords). In switching back and forth between the two chords, keep this finger down on the 5th string — doing so makes switching easier.
Always hold down common tones whenever you’re switching chords. They provide an anchor of stability for your left hand.
To use these chords in a song right now, skip to the section “Playing Songs with 7th Chords,” later in this chapter, and play “Over the River and Through the Woods.”
Minor 7th Chords — Dm7, Em7, and Am7
Minor 7th chords differ from dominant 7th chords in that their character is a little softer and jazzier. Minor 7th chords are the chords you hear in “Moondance” by Van Morrison, the verses of “Light My Fire” by the Doors, and “Box Set” by Barenaked Ladies.
Figure 2-4 shows diagrams for the three open-position minor 7th (m7) chords: Dm7, Em7, and Am7. See Video Clip 10 for more.
Notice that the Dm7 uses a two-string barre — that is, you press down two strings with a single finger (the 1st finger, in this case) at the 1st fret. Angling your finger slightly or rotating it on its side may help you fret those notes firmly and eliminate any buzzes as you play the chord. Also, the 6th and 5th strings have Xs above them. Don’t strike those strings while strumming.
You finger the Am7 chord much as you do the C chord in the previous chapter; just lift your 3rd finger off a C chord — and you have Am7. In switching between C and Am7 chords, be sure to hold down the two common tones with your 1st and 2nd fingers. This way, you can switch between the chords much more quickly. And if you know how to play an F chord (see Chapter 4), you can form Dm7 simply by removing your 3rd finger.
Major 7th Chords — Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Amaj7, and Dmaj7
Major 7th chords differ from dominant 7th chords and minor 7th chords in that their character is bright and jazzy. You can hear this kind of chord at the beginning of “Ventura Highway” by America, “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” by Gerry and the Pacemakers, and “Take It Easy” by The Eagles.
Figure 2-5 shows four open-position major 7th (maj7) chords: Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Amaj7, and Dmaj7.
FIGURE 2-5: Chord diagrams for Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Amaj7, and Dmaj7 chords.
Notice that the Dmaj7 uses a three-string barre with the 1st finger. Rotating the 1st finger slightly on its side helps make the chord easier to play. Refer to Video Clip 11 to make sure your 1st finger position resembles the one in the video. Don’t play the 6th or 5th strings as you strike the Dmaj7 or Fmaj7 (see the Xs in the diagrams in Figure 2-5). And don’t play the 6th string on the Amaj7 or Cmaj7.
In moving between Cmaj7 and Fmaj7, notice that the 2nd and 3rd fingers move as a fixed shape across the strings in switching between these chords. You don’t fret any string in a Cmaj7 chord with your 1st finger, but keep it curled and poised above the 1st fret of the 2nd string so you can bring it down quickly for the switch to Fmaj7.
Practice moving back and forth (strumming four times each) between Cmaj7 and Fmaj7 and between Amaj7 and Dmaj7.
Listen to Tracks 7 through 11 to hear the rhythm of the strums of these songs as you follow the slash notation in the guitar part (flip to Chapter 3 to find out more about rhythm slashes). Don’t try to play the vocal line. It’s there only as a reference.
Here’s some useful information about the songs to help you along:
Home on the Range (Track 7): To play “Home on the Range,” you need to know how to play C, C7, F, D7, and G7 chords (see Book 2 Chapter 1 for the C and F chords and the section “Dominant 7th Chords,” earlier in this chapter, for the others); how to play a bass-strum-strum pattern; and how to wail like a coyote.
In the music, you see the words Bass Strum Strum over the rhythm slashes. Instead of simply strumming the chord for three beats, play only the lowest note of the chord on the first beat and then strum the remaining notes of the chord on beats 2 and 3. The sim. means to keep on playing this pattern throughout.
All Through the Night (Track 8): To play “All Through the Night,” you need to know how to play D, E7 (use the two-finger version for this song), A7, and G chords (see the previous chapter for the D and G chords and the section earlier in this chapter on the E7 and A7 chords); how to read repeat signs; and how to stay awake during this intensely somnolent ditty.
In the music, you see repeat signs, which tell you to play certain measures twice (in this case, you play measures 1, 2, 3, 4, and then measures 1, 2, 3, 5). A repeat sign consists of a thick vertical line and a thin vertical line (through the staff) with two dots next to them. A repeat sign that marks the beginning of a section to be repeated has its dots to the right of the vertical lines. You see this at the beginning of measure 1. A repeat sign that marks the end of a section to be repeated has its dots to the left of the vertical lines, as at the end of measure 4.
Over the River and Through the Woods (Track 9): To play “Over the River and Through the Woods,” you need to know how to play A, D, E7 (use the four-finger version), and B7 chords (see previous chapter for the A and D chords and the section on the four-finger version of E7 and B7, earlier in this chapter); how to strum in 6/8 time; and the way to Grandma’s house (in case your horse stumbles and you need to shoot it).
The 6/8 time signature has a lilting feel to it — sort of as though the music has a gallop or limp. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” is another familiar song in 6/8 time. Count only two beats per measure — not six — with each group of three eighth notes sounding like one big beat; otherwise, you’ll end up sounding like a rabbit that’s had three cups of coffee.
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring (Track 10): To play “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring,” you need to know how to play Amaj7 and Dmaj7 chords (see the section, “Major 7th Chords — Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Amaj7, and Dmaj7,” earlier in this chapter) and how to sing in a whiny, annoying voice.
This song is a jazzed-up version of the old nursery rhyme “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring,” also known as the childhood taunt “Billy Is a Sissy” (or whichever personal childhood nemesis you plug in to the title). The major 7th chords you play in this song sound jazzy and give any song a modern sound. Use all downstrokes on the strums.
Oh, Susanna (Track 11): To play “Oh, Susanna,” you need to know how to play Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, Am7, D7, G7, and C chords (see previous chapter for C and various sections earlier in this chapter for the different 7th chords) and how to balance a banjo on your knee while traveling the Southern United States.
This arrangement of “Oh, Susanna” uses three types of 7th chords: dominant 7ths (D7 and G7), minor 7ths (Dm7, Em7, and Am7), and major 7ths (Cmaj7 and Fmaj7). Using minor 7ths and major 7ths gives the song a hip sound. Use all downstrokes on the strums.
Lest you think this attempt to “jazz up” a simple folk song comes from out of the blue, listen to James Taylor’s beautiful rendition of “Oh, Susanna” on the 1970 album Sweet Baby James to hear a similar approach. He actually says “banjo” without sounding corny.
Playing dominant, minor, and major 7th chords
Actually, the term dominant refers to the 5th degree of a major scale — which is called the dominant.
If you already know how to play C (introduced in Book 2 Chapter 1), you can form C7 by simply adding your pinky on the 3rd string at the 3rd fret.
Notice the Xs above the 5th and 6th strings on the D7 chord. Don’t play those strings as you strum. Similarly, for the C7 chord, don’t play the 6th string as you strum. Check out the right-hand motion in Video Clip 9 to see what your right hand should look like.
Be sure to avoid striking the 6th string on the B7 chord.
