Major 7th*, Minor 7th and Ninth Chord Construction

Lesson 2/91 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Bass Guitar Method

Major 7th*, Minor 7th and Ninth Chord Construction

The formula for the major 7th chord is:

So a Cmaj7 chord contains the notes C - E - G - B, and an Amaj7 chord contains the notes A - C# - E - G# .

The major 7th chord arpeggio forms the following patterns on the fretboard:

This pattern can start on either the 4th or 3rd strings.

The formula for the minor 7th chord is:

So a Cm7 chord contains the notes C - Eb - G - Bb, and an Am7 chord contains the notes A - C - E - G.

The minor 7th chord arpeggio forms the following pattern on the fretboard:

This pattern can start on either the 4th or 3rd strings.

The formula for the 9th chord is:

So a C9 chord contains the notes C - E - G - Bb* - D, and an A9 chord contains the notes A - C# - E - G - B.

The 9th chord arpeggio forms the following pattern on the fretboard:

This pattern can only start on the 4th string.

*Do not confuse major 7th chords with 7th chords (dominant 7th).

The following chord progression, using major 7th, minor 7th and ninth chords is a "Jazz" variation of the turnaround.

As a variation to the previous bass line, scale notes can be added.

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Gary Turner and Brenton White

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1- Minor Chord Riffs 2- Notes on the Fretboard 3- SECTION TWO 4- The 12 Bar Blues Progression 5- Alternate Picking 6- 12 Bar in A 7- Riff No. 8 8- INTRODUCTION 9- Rhythm Variations 10- Turnaround Pattern Two 11- Passing Notes 12- The Slide 13- SECTION THREE 14- Creating A Bass Line 15- Minor Chord Construction 16- Major 7th*, Minor 7th and Ninth Chord Construction 17- Augmented Chord Construction 18- Comparison of Styles 19- SECTION ONE 20- Notes on the First String 21- 12 Bar Blues 22- The Half Note 23- Fretboard Diagram 24- Turnaround Progression No. 2 25- The Major Scale 26- Riff No. 5 27- Sharps and Flats 28- Shuffle Rhythm 29- Examples on the First and Second Strings 30- Octaves 31- Tuning Your Bass 32- Walking Bass 33- Staccato 34- Riff No. 9 35- Turnaround Progression No. 1 36- Open String Notes 37- Timing Combinations 38- Sixth Chord Construction 39- C Major Scale 40- Chord Construction - Major Chords 41- Riff No. 2 42- 12 Bar Blues Riff No. 1 43- Notes on the 4th and 5th Frets 44- Minor Chord Arpeggio 45- Suspended Chord Construction 46- Extra Progressions 47- Eighth Notes 48- Arpeggio Patterns 49- Walking Bass Examples 50- Major Chord Arpeggio 51- Syncopation 52- 8 Bar Minor Blues 53- Diminished Chord Construction 54- Notation 55- A Major Scale 56- 8 Bar Blues 57- 12 Bar in C 58- Riff Variations 59- Transposing 60- The Tie 61- Turnaround Pattern One 62- Open String Notes 63- 12 Bar Blues Pattern Two 64- Riffs 65- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 66- E Flat Major Scale 67- Music Notation 68- 7th Chord Construction 69- Blues in G 70- Section Two Summary 71- 12 Bar Blues Pattern Three 72- Rock Progression 73- Eighth Note Rest 74- Syncopation Examples 75- Jazz Turnaround 76- 12 Bar Blues Pattern One 77- Syncopated Rhythm Styles 78- The Bass Guitar 79- Triplet Timing 80- Minor Pentatonic Triplets 81- 7th Chord Arpeggio 82- Higher Position Examples 83- The Hammer on 84- Minor Pentatonic Scale Over the Entire Fretboard 85- 12 Bar in A 86- The I -V Formula 87- Triplet Riff 88- Note Reading Examples 89- Riff/Scale Relationships 90- Triplet Blues Riff 91- Section One Summary

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Major 7th*, Minor 7th and Ninth Chord Construction