maj 7 chords

Spencer Cullum · Posted 21 Dec 2007 9:48 am

dont mean to sound like a complete dum bell - whats the best inversion for maj 7th chords on the e9th neck

i have a basic idea but just wanna confirm

any help would be great

spencer

Johan Jansen · From: Europe

E maj7th,2fret AB root on string 9, 12 and 0 fret, knee E, 7th fret pedal A
Good luck and happy X-mas
Johan

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

A nice easy one is to go up two frets from the open chord and use the A & B pedals with the 9th string D as the root of the chord.......What's nice is you can hit it first with only the B pedal and then bring in the maj7 with your A pedal....JH in Va.
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Spencer Cullum · Posted 21 Dec 2007 10:04 am

Johan Jansen · From: Europe

you can hit them all, except the 2nd one, or you should have to lower it a full note
JJ

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Spencer,Banjo legend Bill Keith showed me this a million years ago.Strings 10,9,7,6,5...with pedals A+B down on the 2nd fret would give you an Fmaj.7th.You have to hit strings 10+9 together with the thumb...fanning?While at the same time picking 7 and 6 and then reach over with your 3rd finger to hit the 5th string,It takes a little practice but well worth it.It's a fat inversion,you can leave your B pedal down and rock on the A for a cool effect,Merry Christmas,Stu
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Spencer Cullum · Posted 21 Dec 2007 11:17 am

you guys are great! thanks so much for the advice!
spencer

happy xmas

Marc Jenkins · From: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

In a couple Neil Young songs, Ben Keith plays a iii chord as a sub. For example, in 'Mellow My Mind' he plays an Em (fret 15, strings 5, 6, 7, 8 pedal A) for a Cmaj7. This is nice for when you want to lower from the root down to the maj7. A nice alternative to raising from the 6th as shown above.

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

Any 6th chord becomes a M7 (without the root) a fifth above. In other words 7 frets above or 5 frets below (on the V6th-chord pos) from it's 6th position.
I becomes 5, III becomes M7, V bcomes a 9th (which will be avoided) and VI becomes a III.

Basic 6th cord combinations on E9th: A&B-pedals down, E-lower-lever (two frets below) and another 7 frets below with the A-pedal only. An alternate way to look at the E-lower-lever position is, that you just drop the root half (to a M7) and thus lost the root. Some older setups only lower the top E, then the root is found on the 8th string... same as just adding the 2nd ("chromatic") string. The A-pedal position can also be looked at as root A&B position without the B-pedal (again dropping the root half to M7).

... J-D.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Strings 9, 7, 6, 5 with pedals AB. This gives you D major 7 on the open strings.

Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

or....one can play strings 2,5,6 and 8 open, and play an E major 7th.

Gary Shepherd · From: Fox, Oklahoma, USA

Just calling it a maj7th chord is not enough information. We need to know the sonority of the chord and of the 7th. There are several kinds of "maj7th chords".
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b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

If it's enough information for "The Real Book", it's enough for me! Cool

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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

As far as my musical training goes, there is still only 1 way to construct a Maj7 chord. Scale tones consist of 1,3,5,7(not flatted).
Example: Cmaj7. Notes: C E G B

Duane Reese · Posted 26 Dec 2007 2:24 pm

You can make the open triads on you E9 into maj7 by hitting your E-lever, or if you have the AB down, just let off the B-pedal. Pretty easy. You're just using the IIIm as a substitution chord.

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Now, substitution chords... That's where I wish I was more knowledgable.
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Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Just curious, Gary S, could you elaborate on the different types of Ma7 chords?

I consider the Ma7 chord to be the basis of a family of chords, parallel to the Dom7 chords -- extensions including Ma9, Ma11, Ma13 and any of the altered chords like #11, etc., but a Ma7 chord (the way I was taught) consists of a major triad (1 3 5) and a natural 7th -- a four note chord with only one spelling (several inversions but only one spelling).

Please enlighten us.
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Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

Micky Byrne · From: United Kingdom (deceased)

Hey Spencer, now you know the explanation, it's a nice chord to end a a slow number on......it's just a little different, well you know that anyway as you're a brill lead guitarist. How you getting on with the Universal?? bet you'll never go to a D-10 Smile

Happy new year to you Smile

Micky Byrne

Bengt Erlandsen · From: Brekstad, NORWAY

If you play all 4 notes the best inversion would probably be the one where the notes are played Root 3rd 5th 7th or E G# B D# low to high. strings 8 6 5 2 on open strings or strings 9 7 6 5 w A+Bpedals at 2nd fret for an Emaj7. If you exclude the root note you have several other inversions of the G# B D# which is nothing else than a G#minor chord that will also work. D# G# B is often used and B D# G# can also work depending on how the melody goes.(Chord substitution where G#minor works as an Emaj7(without the root note))
It is also possible to find a full maj7 voicing Root 3rd 5th 7th on strings 6 5 2 1 by halfpedaling the A pedal and raising 1st string a half step or on the same strings 6 5 2 1 A+Bpedal and raise 2nd str a half step and 1st string a whoøe step.
Also not mentioned is the option of playing all notes of the maj7 on strings 9 5 4 3 w B+C pedals (Root note on the 9th string) so this combintion gives a Dmaj7 on open strings. I don´t use it that often but it sure sounds nice and well worth knowing that it can be played with the notes spread out a little bit more.

Pierre James · From: Texas, USA

Jason Altshuler · From: Brooklyn, NY

Hello Alexandre... it is a bit confusing as written, but I believe the response was meant to list three different ways of playing Emaj7 on E9.

1) on the 2nd fret, use string 9 as the root of the chord (E) and put the A and B pedals down...you can hit the 7 6 and 5 strings here too
2) on the 12 fret (or "0" fret, aka no bar) if you lower Es with your lever, you will get G#m which is the same as Emaj7 without the root
3) on the 7th fret, just do the A pedal, and you will again get G#m which can be thought of as Emaj7

Hope that's helpful!
Jason

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

This is saying pretty much the same thing, only with pictures.
In many cases, the steel is not really needing to be playing all 4 notes of a Major7 (or any) chord.

Pierre James · From: Texas, USA

Wow thank you guys. Everyone is so helpful thank you!

Ron Funk · From: Ballwin, Missouri

Per BE's "E9th Chord Vocabulary"

Open position: Strings 8,6,5,2

or

Up Two Frets from Open position with AB pedals on Strings 9,7,6,5

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