Major 7th guitar chords
A major 7th chord is a major chord plus the note one fret below the root, an octave up. It is the mellow chord of bossa nova, soul and a great deal of acoustic pop.
How major 7th chords are built
The formula is 1–3–5–7: the root, the major third, the perfect fifth and the major seventh, counted from the root’s major scale. In Cmaj7 that gives C · E · G · B.
All 12 major 7th chords on guitar
Fingerings read from the low E string to the high E string. x = not played, 0 = open. 6 of the twelve main shapes are easy, 2 medium and 4 hard.
| Chord | Notes | Fingering | Position | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmaj7 | C E G B | 332000 | open position | Easy |
| Dbmaj7 | D♭ F A♭ C | x43111 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Dmaj7 | D F♯ A C♯ | xx0222 | open position | Easy |
| Ebmaj7 | E♭ G B♭ D | x11333 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Emaj7 | E G♯ B D♯ | 021100 | open position | Easy |
| Fmaj7 | F A C E | xx3210 | open position | Easy |
| Gbmaj7 | G♭ B♭ D♭ F | 243322 | barre chord, 2nd fret | Hard |
| Gmaj7 | G B D F♯ | 320002 | open position | Easy |
| Abmaj7 | A♭ C E♭ G | 465544 | barre chord, 4th fret | Hard |
| Amaj7 | A C♯ E G♯ | x02120 | open position | Easy |
| Bbmaj7 | B♭ D F A | x13231 | barre chord, 1st fret | Hard |
| Bmaj7 | B D♯ F♯ A♯ | 224342 | barre chord, 2nd fret | Hard |
Major 7th chord diagrams
- Cmaj73320004 fingerings · easy
- Dbmaj7x431114 fingerings · medium
- Dmaj7xx02224 fingerings · easy
- Ebmaj7x113334 fingerings · medium
- Emaj70211004 fingerings · easy
- Fmaj7xx32104 fingerings · easy
- Gmaj73200024 fingerings · easy
- Abmaj74655444 fingerings · hard
- Amaj7x021204 fingerings · easy
- Bbmaj7x132314 fingerings · hard
- Bmaj72243424 fingerings · hard
Where major 7th chords appear in a key
In a major key, a major 7th chord fits on the I and IV degrees of the scale. For example, Cmaj7 is the I chord in C major and IV chord in G major.