More about the mMaj7 chord
The minor major seventh chord has, just like it's siblings (mMaj9), a very characteristic and rich sound that is both a bit dramatic and unpredictable. Mainly because the major seventh creates a big tension that has a great need to resolve towards the octave. But not only: that aspect gets even more dramatic with the presence of the minor third.
There are actually quite a bit of ways to write down the chord symbol, some of these include: mMaj7 mM7 min-maj7 m∆7 or m∆
A minor seventh chord would normally exist out of a P1 m3 P5 and minor seventh (m7). But this chord is not derived from any natural scale such as aeolian or dorian but from the melodic minor scale. In short, it is a minor scale with a natural 6 and 7th note, instead of their altered variants minor sixth and minor seventh. A minor melodic scale in C would have these notes: C D Eb F G A B.
Now you can create a Cm∆7 by stacking thirds: C Eb G B (add a D to create mMaj9!).
Usage and play
This chord is usually played in jazz and world music. But quite some pop songs use it as well.
Typically it is a great ending chord for a song and is used a lot in this way. It's a great chord to be played on it's own because of the rich sound.
Another loved way of using it is by lowering the root note as octave by semitones. This will create a nice leading tone downwards in the accompaniment or instrumentation. This can actually be done all the way down back to the root note, but mostly goes towards the major sixth or the perfect fifth. As you will see in the next examples, it lends itself greatly as a passing chord.
Imagine playing in A minor:
Chord pattern towards the M6 | Am | AmMaj7 | Am7 | Am6 |
Or towards the P5 (a tad experimental) | Am | AmMaj7 | Am7 | Am6 | | Amb6 | Am | D#o | E7 |
Examples
- Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin -- This iconic guitar pattern uses exactly the first example above.
