In this lesson, we’re going to look at the Minor 7th and Minor Major 7th chords.

Ensure that you already know lesson one, where we learned about some major 7th chords.

With these two minor 7th chords, the difference is the 7th note is the minor 7th interval in one, and the major 7th interval in the other.

In both the minor triad is there, ie, tonic, minor third and fifth note.

The trick also is to remember the notation which is what you’ll see in music scores.

Here they are:

Minor 7th Chord

Notation: Cmin7 or Cm7

This chord is made up of:

Root

Minor 3rd

Fifth

Minor 7th

Here are some Minor 7th chords in various keys, starting with C major:

The chord is surprisingly versatile and you can play a series of them in a row instead of transitioning immediately to a dominant chord.

Incidentally, on a major scale, it occurs on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th degree. That is, if you build a 4 note chord, simply starting on that degree and using the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th notes, using the scale of the tonic…

For example, in C major, starting with:

D (2nd degree) you have D F A C

E (3rd degree) you have E G B D, and

A (6th degree) you have A C E G

which are all minor 7th chords.

Minor Major 7th Chord

Notation: CmM7

This chord is made up of:

Root

Minor 3rd

Fifth

Major 7th

Here are some Minor Major 7th chords in various keys, starting with C major:

Notice that the 7th note is the major 7th interval from the tonic, which gives the chord more dissonance compared to the minor 7th chords.

It can be used as a base where a melody is improvised with a harmonic minor scale.

It’s also used on the fourth scale degree in the major mode, for example, in a piece in C major, it can be done on F, ie, F Ab C E

What to do:

So practice these chords on the piano, and you will easily recognise them, as they are commonly used.

The Dominant 7th chord is commonly used before resolving to the root chord in all forms of music, as the most definitive resolution.

The Major 7th chord has a greater dissonance to it as the major 7th note clashes with the root note as it is only a semitone away from the root an octave above.

Step 1

The steps to all these skills is firstly to know a good repertoire of chords.

Yes, start with major and minor, and these are the basics.

Then get familiar with this list of piano chords:

Let’s take the example of C:

C major 7th

C minor 7th

C sus2

C sus4

C6

C minor 6

C9

C major 9

C minor 9

C9 sus

C11

C13

C dim

C dim 7

C aug

C7 diminished 5 (or flat 5)

C7 augmented 5 (or sharp 5)

C minor 7 diminished 5 (or flat 5)

C minor 7 augmented 5 (or sharp 5)

C 7 diminished 9 (or flat 9)

C 7 augmented 9 (or sharp 9)

Step 2

Practice the above with a few different keys.

Do the ones that feel simple to you eg D, F, G, Bb as well as more difficult keys that you usually play with whether it’s Gb or C# etc, just play around to create the right chord…

This is not just a brain exercise to get you used to creating the chords easily, you also get ot know the sounds…

Step 3

Practice with different voicings

Not only with inversions, but also with “phat chords” or “phat voicing” as well which is popular in all kinds of music, from classical, to popular, to gospel to jazz, as this opens up the sound and creates more interest in the sound than simply the notes in successive order.

For example, with a C min 7, play the C and G in the left hand, and an octave above, play the Eb, D.
Step 4

Get to know some typical chord progressions in music and songs.

There are typical progressions, which we’ll talk about in another post.

They are not absolute rules, but they do cover the most common.

So start with the above steps, and go from there…

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This digital piano is sampled from the top of the line Yamaha grand concert grand the CFIIIS, which if you’ve played it, you know it’s a powerful grand with a solid, resonant sound.

Does it sound great?

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The digital piano is designed like an upright where you have the 3 pedals, soft, sustenuto and sustain pedals.

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There are 10 sounds in total, including harpsichord, organ, strings, electric organ, etc and you can combine sounds such as piano and strings for example.

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Remember, listen to the sound, and here’s another review and demo, of a demo song that was in the Roland RG1F:

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If you’re looking for a Yamaha digital piano that has a great sound and built with the 3 pedals, and want the features of other sounds, connectivity, and good solid keyboard action, then have a look at the Yamaha YDP 161.

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Audio Lesson 6
Chest voice and head voice

Audio Lesson 7
Bad Habits to AVOID

Audio Lesson 8
Extending your vocal range: Part 1

Audio Lesson 9
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How to Become Sensational At Singing Harmony -
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Your Future as a Singer

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Extending your vocal range: Part 2

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The music says it all…

Kyle plays on a Yamaha p155

He has also produced albums with his playing

It’s an area of confusion for many people, but with this series it will clear it up for you!

We’ll start with the basics, assuming you know what a major and minor chord already is.

In this lesson, we’re going to look at the Dominant 7th and Major 7th chords.

People get these chords mixed up as the major is the basis of both chords, and mix one up with the other…

So here’s what these chords are:

Dominant 7th Chord

Notation: C7

This chord is made up of:

Root

Major 3rd

Fifth

Minor 7th

Here are some Dominant 7th chords in various keys, starting with C major:

Notice that the 7th note is flattened from the major 7th note of its respective scale.

The reason the name dominant 7th came about, is that the 4 note chord built on the dominant or 5th note from the tonic (1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th note from the dominant) using the tonic scale, produces this type of chord.

For example, in C major, the dominant is the 5th note of its scale, which is G. If you build a 4 note chord on the G with the scale of C, you have G B D F, which is a G7 chord.

As another example, in F major, you do the same thing and end up with C E G Bb, which is the C7 chord.

Major 7th Chord

Notation: CMaj7 or CM7

This chord is made up of:

Root

Major 3rd

Fifth

Major 7th

Here are some Major 7th chords in various keys, starting with C major:

Notice that the 7th note is simply from the major 7th note of its respective scale.

What to do:

So practice these chords on the piano, and you will easily recognise them, as they are commonly used.

The Dominant 7th chord is commonly used before resolving to the root chord in all forms of music, as the most definitive resolution.

The Major 7th chord has a greater dissonance to it as the major 7th note clashes with the root note as it is only a semitone away from the root an octave above.

Is it worth it?

There are some impressive testimonials there on their site about people learning to play, and have found it the most effective course they have tried, after trying so many.

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See what others had to say on this innovative way of learning piano fast:

Robin, I’ve been working with the course for about a week now, and it’s incredible. Just the practice aids and the different scales and memory techniques in Book 9 are worth the price of the course, alone! There are two things that make this course stand out. First, all the video and audio files are embedded in the lesson. I have yet to find another piano course that makes it this easy. It’s so nice not to have three files going at the same time!

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Hya Robin, Enjoying the piano like Ive never – bless you for your insight into teaching – it works!! Please accept my highest respect for possibly the best tutorial of all time – I am 74 and have seen a few. You have made me a happy slave to my keyboard and sound!

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Hi Robyn, I bought the lessons a few weeks ago I’m virtually ecstatic with how I’ve finally managed to play after a year of slogging away trying to learn to read music. I’ve given up on that and I’m really learning so quickly now by applying what you teach.

Please feel free to put my testimonial on your website. I have literally tried everything I found online to learn and I was considering giving the piano away to a friend when fortunately I found your lessons. Thanks a lot! Cheers

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If you want to play fast (instead of slowly) and learn the variety of chords that make up pop, jazz that teachers will often not teach you in the classic way of leaning piano, then this is for you.

As the video says, its not what you learn, its how you learn it that makes you able to play and to apply the chord knowledge to any song, or even if and when you need to improvise!

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And the lessons are videos and audios – the only way to learn piano.

You get:

Getting to know the keyboard

Understanding the keyboard is a lot easier than you might imagine…

The key to playing piano by ear – Chords and Rhythmic Patterns

Piano Chords are very easy to play… if you see them in terms of SHAPES and PATTERNS

Music Notation Made INCREDIBLY Easy

Traditional teaching methods have always made sight reading seem like a complicated foreign language…Pianoforall changes all that…

10 Classic Party Rhythms
These 10 Rhythms are the underlying basic rhythms for nearly every popular tune ever written…

Rhythm 1 – Left Note / Right Chord

This simple ‘funky’ rhythm makes your chords sound far more interesting and is great for left and right hand coordination...

Piano Chords in the key of C

The best chords to start with are the C Family piano chords (all white keys)…remember ALL the chords in about 5 MINUTES…

Rhythm 2 – Straight Beat Gospel Piano Style

A nice slow easy rhythm for Gospel…

Rhythm 3 – Oom Pah

A fun, bouncy, ‘Paul McCartney style’ rhythm…

The Amazing ‘Broken Chord’ Ballad

This impressive ballad is incredibly easy yet sounds very impressive…

More Piano Chords More Songs

An easy way to make four new piano chords…

Seventh Heaven

‘Seventh’ chords will instantly add colour to your playing…. will enable you to play ANY seventh chord in ANY shape ANYWHERE on the piano in a flash!

Rhythm 4 – Split Chord

This is a rhythm you hear very often in slow ballads – it has a lovely ‘ringing’ quality…

Rhythm 5 – Half Beat bounce

This rhythm is used in many slow songs that have a slight ‘bounce’…

Rhythm 6 – Twist

This classic ‘Doo-Wap’ rhythm…

‘Slash Chords’ / Bass Runs

It may sound scary but Slash Chords and Bass Runs are a very simple way to add a lot of colour to your playing…

Rhythm 7 – Three Beat Bounce

This is a great little rhythm used in songs composed in 3/4 time…

Rhythm 8 – 12/8 Country Shuffle

This is a very easy and very recognisable rhythm and if you learn it with just three chords…

Rhythm 9 – Bossa Nova Bounce

This rhythm has a Bossa Nova ‘feel’ to it but is used in lots of modern popular tunes…

Rhythm 10 – Twist 2

This rhythm is slightly more difficult than Twist (1) and has a more open and ‘laid back’ feel…

And more…

The best thing is that you learn fast as you download the lessons and start immediately.

Because you get to know the chords used in music, pop, gospel, jazz, etc you get to recognise it right away in any music you read.

This is what I was missing from my training when I learned music the traditional way, which by the way costs thousands, compared to an online course, and so I have found I relied on reading music and not able to recognise the chord relationships and the various 7th, 9th, etc chords that are used to make up the music.

So if you learn the basis right, you will understand the music so much more, and with the tricks you learn here, you will know how to play it faster as well!

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f you want to play fast instead of slow, this is it.

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Another amazing, jaw dropping performance by Kyle Landry.

What a talented guy on the piano, and in this case his digital piano…

What insane talent he must have to improvise these themes on Pachelbel’s Canon.

And wonderful sound he plays with, and makes the digital piano sound as good as anything you can imagine.

He plays Yamaha p120 and Yamaha p155

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