GUITAR CHORDS LESSON

Learn the Seventh Chords on Guitar

Learn how major seventh, minor seventh and dominant seventh chords are constructed, how their intervals differ and how to find the notes that make up each chord on the guitar.

Understanding Seventh Chords

What Are Seventh Chords?

Seventh chords are four-note chords created by adding a seventh interval to a basic three-note chord, or triad. This extra note gives the chord more colour and creates sounds that can feel richer, smoother or more tense than a simple major or minor chord.

The type of seventh chord depends on the intervals measured from the root note. By changing the 3rd or the 7th, we can create different types of seventh chords, including major seventh, minor seventh and dominant seventh chords.

The Basic Idea
Triad Root + 3rd + 5th
Seventh Chord Root + 3rd + 5th + 7th
Building Chords

How Do Intervals Build Seventh Chords?

Before constructing seventh chords, it is important to understand how intervals are used to build chords. An interval tells us the distance of a note from the root note.

Starting from the root, we can identify the different intervals available within an octave. We then select specific intervals to create major, minor and seventh chords.

Intervals from the Root Note
R Root
m2 Minor 2nd
M2 Major 2nd
m3 Minor 3rd
M3 Major 3rd
P4 Perfect 4th
♭5 Flat 5th
P5 Perfect 5th
m6 Minor 6th
M6 Major 6th
m7 Minor 7th
M7 Major 7th
♪

Remember: the root is our starting point. The 3rd, 5th and 7th are not fixed notes — they are distances measured from that root. Change the root note, and the notes change, but the interval formula stays the same.

Seventh Chord Types

The Three Main Seventh Chords

The difference between major seventh, minor seventh and dominant seventh chords comes from the 3rd and 7th intervals measured from the root note.

Major 7th

A major seventh chord uses a major 3rd, perfect 5th and major 7th above the root.

R
M3
P5
M7

Minor 7th

A minor seventh chord uses a minor 3rd, perfect 5th and minor 7th above the root.

R
m3
P5
m7

Dominant 7th

A dominant seventh chord uses a major 3rd, perfect 5th and minor 7th above the root.

R
M3
P5
m7
The key difference: Major 7th uses a major 3rd and major 7th, minor 7th uses a minor 3rd and minor 7th, while dominant 7th combines a major 3rd with a minor 7th.
Example from C

Using C as the Root Note

Let’s use C as our root note. Starting from C, each note has a specific interval measured from the root. We can then select different intervals from this sequence to construct major, minor and seventh chords.

C
R
Db
m2
D
M2
Eb
m3
E
M3
F
P4
Gb
♭5
G
P5
Ab
m6
A
M6
Bb
m7
B
M7
C is our root note. Every interval above is measured from C. In the next examples, we will keep C as the root and select different combinations of these intervals to create C major, C minor, C major 7th, C minor 7th and C dominant 7th chords.
Chord Examples from C

Building Chords from the C Root Note

By keeping C as the root note and selecting different intervals, we can create major, minor and seventh chords. The highlighted notes below show exactly which intervals belong to each chord.

C Major

R + M3 + P5

C major contains the notes C, E and G.

C
R
Db
m2
D
M2
Eb
m3
E
M3
F
P4
Gb
♭5
G
P5
Ab
m6
A
M6
Bb
m7
B
M7

C Minor

R + m3 + P5

C minor contains the notes C, Eb and G.

C
R
Db
m2
D
M2
Eb
m3
E
M3
F
P4
Gb
♭5
G
P5
Ab
m6
A
M6
Bb
m7
B
M7

C Major 7th

R + M3 + P5 + M7

C major 7th contains the notes C, E, G and B.

C
R
Db
m2
D
M2
Eb
m3
E
M3
F
P4
Gb
♭5
G
P5
Ab
m6
A
M6
Bb
m7
B
M7

C Minor 7th

R + m3 + P5 + m7

C minor 7th contains the notes C, Eb, G and Bb.

C
R
Db
m2
D
M2
Eb
m3
E
M3
F
P4
Gb
♭5
G
P5
Ab
m6
A
M6
Bb
m7
B
M7

C Dominant 7th

R + M3 + P5 + m7

C dominant 7th contains the notes C, E, G and Bb.

C
R
Db
m2
D
M2
Eb
m3
E
M3
F
P4
Gb
♭5
G
P5
Ab
m6
A
M6
Bb
m7
B
M7

Watch: How to Construct Seventh Chords on the Guitar

See how major seventh, minor seventh and dominant seventh chords are constructed from the root note, and learn how changing the 3rd and 7th intervals creates each different chord type.

Continue Learning

Ready to Use Seventh Chords in Real Songs?

Take the next step with Learn to Play Guitar Chords with Songs: The 7th Chords. Learn major seventh, minor seventh and dominant seventh chords through songs, chord charts, guitar lessons and ear training games, and start using these richer chord sounds in real music.

Learn Guitar Chords with Songs
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