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Guitar: Lesson 12

Movable Seventh Chord Shapes

By Zack Cart

 

Prerequisites:

You should be able to understand and perform the concepts and techniques outlined in the following lessons before attempting this lesson:

Guitar: Lessons 1-10

Music Theory: Lessons 1-9

 

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In the previous guitar and theory lessons we have learned about movable cord shapes, and the creation of seventh chords. Today we will explore some movable, four note chord shapes, major7, minor7, dominant7, half diminished 7, and fully diminished 7 chords.

These chords will function in the same manner as the previous movable chords, but will be only four notes each, instead of the six from previous lessons. This means that you will have to practice carefully to avoid hitting open strings which are not intended to be a part of the chord.

 

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Each of the five chord shapes we will be learning today will be in the same voicing, that is, root on the bottom (on the A string) followed by the fifth, then seventh, and finally the third on top. These should mostly be comfortable on the left hand, and will likely pose less difficulty than some of the bare chords from preceding lessons.

Each of the shapes will be approached from a D root on the A string (fourth fret) but can obviously be slid up and down the neck to achieve a variety of other chords.

 

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The first shape we will explore is the major seventh. The elements of a major seventh chord are, you will recall, Root, Major third, Perfect fifth, and Major Seventh. In the context of D major 7 this would be D, F#, A, C#.

Begin with the pointer finger fretting the D root on the A string. Next, the ring finger will fret the fifth, or A, above it on the D string. The seventh, C#, will be played on the G string with the middle finger, and the pinky will fret the last note, the third, F#, on the B string. Take care to strum neither the High nor Low E strings.

 

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The next shape we will explore is the minor seventh. The elements of a minor seventh chord are, you will recall, Root, Minor third, Perfect fifth, and Minor Seventh. In the context of D minor 7 this would be D, F, A, C.

Begin with the pointer finger fretting the D root on the A string. Next, the ring finger will fret the fifth, or A, above it on the D string. The seventh, C, will be played on the G string by barre-ing with the pointer finger across the fret. The pinky will fret the last note, the third, F, on the B string. Take care to strum neither the High nor Low E strings.

 

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The next shape we will explore is the dominant seventh. The elements of a dominant seventh chord are, you will recall, Root, Major third, Perfect fifth, and Minor Seventh. In the context of D dominant 7 this would be D, F#, A, C.

Begin with the pointer finger fretting the D root on the A string. Next, the ring finger will fret the fifth, or A, above it on the D string. The seventh, C, will be played on the G string by barre-ing with the pointer finger across the fret. The pinky will fret the last note, the third, F#, on the B string. Take care to strum neither the High nor Low E strings.

 

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The next shape we will explore is the half diminished seventh, minor seven, flat five chord. The elements of a half-diminished  seventh chord are, you will recall, Root, Minor third, Diminished fifth, and Minor Seventh. In the context of D half diminished 7 this would be D, F, Ab, C.

Begin with the pointer finger fretting the D root on the A string. Next, the ring finger will fret the fifth, or Ab, above it on the D string. The seventh, C, will be played on the G string by the middle finger, or alternatively by barre-ing across the fret with the pointer finger. The pinky will fret the last note, the third, F, on the B string. If you have barred the root and seventh with the pointer finger, you can fret the fifth and third with the middle and ring fingers, respectively, rather than the ring and pinky. Take care to strum neither the High nor Low E strings.

 

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The final shape we will explore is the diminished seventh. The elements of a diminished seventh chord are, you will recall, Root, Minor third, diminished fifth, and diminished Seventh. In the context of D diminished 7 this would be D, F, Ab, Cb.

Begin with the middle finger fretting the D root on the A string. Next, the ring finger will fret the fifth, or Ab, above it on the D string. The seventh, Cb, will be played on the G string by the pointer finger. The pinky will fret the last note, the third, F, on the B string. Take care to strum neither the High nor Low E strings.

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These five shapes should be sufficient to take you through the chord symbols to nearly any song with traditional folk, rock, jazz, or classical based harmony, when used in conjunction with the major and minor shapes of the preceding lessons. You will, undoubtedly encounter symbols which are unfamiliar to you. In later lessons, we will explore how you can substitute these chords for most unknown chords, and also how to play many of the chords which are, as of yet, unknown to you.