Maj7 chords

To create a maj7 chord, you have to add a major 7th to a major chord, e.g. a B for a C major chord. Instead of going up seven steps in the major scale you can count back a half step: C → B

Maj7 vs. V7

In a dominant 7th chord (= V7 chord), you add a minor 7th to a major triad. For C7 that note is Bb. More about dominant 7th chords here.

Chord symbols for maj7 chords

Common notations include maj7, Δ7, j7, and ma7 (or MA7).

Starting from the “classic” C major chord, lower the C on the B string by one half step.

Drag the slider under the chord diagram to the right to turn C into Cmaj7. Also, toggle note names and intervals and watch the shape change.

For all other maj7 chords with the root on the A-string we can slide the chord shape to the left or right as a whole, e.g. down to Bmaj7, Bbmaj7 and finally Amaj7 or up to Dbmaj7, etc.

That's how it looks when we take the C major barre chord on the 3rd fret: we're replacing the root tone C on the G string with the major seven B.

To add a maj7 to the open G major chord we can lower the root tone on the high E string by one fret.

It sounds clearer when we leave out the 3rd on A string. The 3rd is present again one octave higher on B string.

Although the interval between the two lowest strings is a 5th in the G barre chord, we still mute the A string when turning it into Gmaj7.

You can also leave out the high E string in Gmaj7; otherwise, angle your index finger slightly to let a second maj7 ring (as shown here).

Again we can slide the whole grip to the left or right, e.g. to play a Fmaj7 or an Abmaj7, etc.

This is how a basic D major chord becomes Dmaj7.

Move both Dmaj7 shapes up two frets to get Emaj7. This usually sounds better (and feels more comfortable) than modifying the “classic” open E major. Let the low open E string ring—it sounds big.

Where can we play maj7 chords?

When we stack thirds over each note of a major scale (using only scale tones), we obtain the scale’s diatonic chords. Depending on how many thirds we stack, we get triads, seventh chords, etc.

By doing so, we get maj7 chords on the 1st and 4th scale degree. If you have a song (or a section) in C major, you can play Cmaj7 and Fmaj7 instead of the plain C or F chord - at least in theory. Practically it always depends on the style of music.

More chord shapes

There are quite a few useful shapes for maj7 chords. The root doesn’t always have to be the lowest note—for instance if another instrument (bass, piano) plays the bass note, or if you use several shapes of the same chord within a bar to make the accompaniment livelier.

This lesson is not intended for showing all possibilities. The construction of dominant seventh chords should be clear by now. The chord finder shows more maj7 chord shapes; fiddling out others by yourself with the chord analyzer is of course strictly allowed!