Major 7 vs Flatted 7 Chord Tones

More often then not, I make the mistake of assuming that aspiring piano players just know certain things about music. One such thing that's recently come to my attention is the concept of 7th chords.

In case you're not familiar, there are two different types of 7th chords. This can be confusing if you're more at the beginner level of learning.

The best way to approach the explanation of 7th chords is to look at the numbered tones of a Major key of music.As you can see with the key of C Major, the 7th tone is B. Since this note naturally exists in the Major key, it's referred to as a Major 7th.

Therefore, adding this tone to a C Major triad creates a Major 7th chord.Play this chord on your piano or keyboard and you'll notice that it has very a smooth texture. Another way to describe it, is that it's very consonant. It's also a great substitution for a plain Major triad.

Even though you can find the 7th tone in a Major key of music by counting up the key like I've shown you, there's a faster way to determine where the Major 7th is.

First, find the root of the chord you wish to build a Major 7 chord upon. Locate the note that's a half step below it and you've found the Major 7th tone.By definition it's played an octave higher.Of course, this works with all Major 7th tones.

Can you find the Major 7th tone of this chord?

That right, it's C sharp.

How about this one?That's right, it's G sharp.

Just to recap, find the Major 7th tone a half step below the root and play it an octave higher. After you become familiar with Major 7th tones, you won't have to locate them. You'll instinctively know them in every key.

The other type of 7th chord tone is the flatted 7th. It's also referred to as the dominant 7th chord. A dominant 7th chord occurs naturally as the 5 chord in a Major key of music. You can refer to the note that creates this chord as the dominant 7th or flatted 7th tone.

The flatted 7th tone is just that. Take the Major 7th tone and flat it by moving it down a half step.

First, let's look at the 7th tone in the key of C Major again by counting up to the 7th.Now flat the 7th by moving it down one key. (a half step)Adding this to a Major triad creates a dominant 7th chord.

Play this chord in contrast to the Major 7th chord on your instrument and notice the difference between them. The dominant 7th has a dissonant sound to it.

You can also find the dominant 7th faster in the same way as the Major 7th tone. Just find the note that is a whole step below the root of the chord.

Now play it an octave higher in the chord.

This works in all keys with flatted 7th tones.Can you find the Flatted 7th tone of this chord?That right, it's C.How about this one?That's right, it's G.

Ok, here's an important distinction on how Major 7 and Dominant 7th chords are referred to verbally and in written form.

The Major 7 chord always has the word Major beside the letter. If it's in written form, it may either have a large M, Maj 7, or a triangle beside the letter.The Dominant 7th chord is simply referred to as a 7th chord (without the word Major in front of it). In written from, it will just have a 7 beside the letter of the chord or "dom" in front of the 7.