Chord reference
Major seventh
1 – 3 – 5 – 7 · example: Cmaj7 = C – E – G – B
A major triad with a major seventh — a semitone below the octave, which gives it its soft, unresolved colour.
Written as a formula it is 1 – 3 – 5 – 7: the degrees of the major scale it keeps, with any that are altered marked. On C that gives Cmaj7 = C, E, G, B.
How it is built
- Bminor
- Gthird
- Emajor
- Croot
The intervals above the root
| Chord tone | Interval above the root | Semitones | Note in Cmaj7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perfect unison | 0 | C |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | B |
Inversions
The same notes can be stacked in any vertical order. The chord keeps its name; what changes is which note is in the bass. See chord inversions for why that matters.
| Position | Notes | Written as |
|---|---|---|
| Root position | C – E – G – B | Cmaj7 |
| First inversion | E – G – B – C | Cmaj7/E |
| Second inversion | G – B – C – E | Cmaj7/G |
| Third inversion | B – C – E – G | Cmaj7/B |
This chord on every root
| Root | Symbol | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cmaj7 | C – E – G – B |
| D♭ | D♭maj7 | D♭ – F – A♭ – C |
| D | Dmaj7 | D – F♯ – A – C♯ |
| E♭ | E♭maj7 | E♭ – G – B♭ – D |
| E | Emaj7 | E – G♯ – B – D♯ |
| F | Fmaj7 | F – A – C – E |
| F♯ | F♯maj7 | F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – E♯ |
| G | Gmaj7 | G – B – D – F♯ |
| A♭ | A♭maj7 | A♭ – C – E♭ – G |
| A | Amaj7 | A – C♯ – E – G♯ |
| B♭ | B♭maj7 | B♭ – D – F – A |
| B | Bmaj7 | B – D♯ – F♯ – A♯ |