Major7 chords generally can be expanded into a couple different scales. Plain old major scales are the first choice, and a Lydian scale is often another choice. The 4th degree of the scale is naturaled in a major scale and sharped in a Lydian scale. That is the only difference. See example.

You can use the Lydian scale if the chord symbol indicates a sharp 11, as in “GMaj7 #11″. If you have a fake book open it up and look for some maj7#11 chord symbols. It’s pretty safe to use a Lydian scale even if the chord symbol does not specify a #11.

So now what? How do we decide what notes to pick to make a 3 or 4 part chord? We’ve got 7 notes to choose from: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. The answer, in this case, is wide open. Major7 chords can be interpreted with just about any combination of available notes you want to use. The only restriction is to probably avoid using natural 11ths. Sharp 11ths can be used with confidence. You can throw out the notion that you must have a 3rd or a 7th or a root or a 5th in your chord. You could have one or more of these, but it is not essential or necessary. Why is that? Perhaps because our modern culture hears the settled, stable sound of maj7 chords very well. As long as you stick to the notes in the scale, you are free to shape your voicings as you want. Cool eh? Below are several voicing choices for a Dmaj7 chord. The 3 things to notice here are the variety of intervals used to create voicings, the way a simple melodic phrase is used in the top mallet part, and the use of 3 and 4 part chords. See example:

See how the shape and size of these chords develop. There are close voicings (chords that fit inside an octave) and open voicings (chords that are larger than an octave). You don’t need to always have four notes in your chord. Three note voicings are excellent to use. Can you identify what notes were chosen for each chord? Hint: the first chord is built using the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th notes.

One of the most important things to notice here is the top voice in the chords. It makes a simple, singable melodic phrase. Play the top voice alone so you can really hear it. It is the dominant sound in your chord. The top voice often dictates the direction of your chords as you move from one shape to another (voice leading). We will talk more about this concept, which can be called top-down comping, throughout the rest of the course. Think of the top voice of your chord as the “leader of the pack” so to speak.

The example below sums up our exploration of major 7 chords. It is an excerpt from Chick Corea’s tune “Tones for Jones Bones”. The keys (scales) change with each chord. What notes in the scales are chosen to make the chords? Look at the variety in the sizes and shapes. There are open and close voicings. The chords are made up of different intervals – 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 6ths, etc. Lastly, see how the top voice plays a simple but distinctive little melody. It was derived from the actual melody of the tune. Using a motif like this in the top voice takes your comping to a whole new level. Instead of just outlining the key areas you are now making real music and providing the soloist with real musical ideas.

Listen:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Study these examples. Practice them and then start to create your own. This kind of practice should be done slowly. You are working to develop your own unique comping style and that takes time. This is all about developing mental dexterity and speed. Next we will take a detailed look at Minor 7 Chords.

Comments are closed