Julie Swihart

Major Seventh Chords

Let’s look at how to play an Amaj7 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any major seventh chord.

What Are Major Seventh Chords?

Major seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale.

So to build a major seventh chord, we’ll start by building a major chord. Major chords are built using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale (learn how to build a major scale here).

To convert a major chord into a major seventh chord, we’ll add the seventh note of the matching major scale to the chord.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.).

Get the Printable

How to Play an Amaj7 Chord

Now let’s build an Amaj7 chord on the piano. We’ll build the A major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the A major scale: A – C♯ – E.

Then we’ll add the seventh note of the same scale to the chord: G♯

So to build an Amaj7 chord, we’ll play:

A – C♯ – E – G♯

You can use this pattern to build any major seventh chord on the piano. First build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then add the seventh note of the matching major scale to the chord.

Chord Fingering

To play this chord with the right hand, use fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 (thumbs are 1’s). To play this chord with the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1.

Other Chord Types

There are many other chord types you can learn. Here are some others:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to build an Amaj7 chord on the piano, and you have the knowledge to build all other major seventh chords!

Using patterns to build chords is a wonderful way to learn the piano!