If you typically use a lot Major and Minor Triad chords in your songs, one way to spice up your songwriting would be to start adding in some Seventh chords.
Triads are the most common type of chord. They are built from three notes; the 1st (also know as the root), the 3rd, and the 5th. The root note gives the chord the letter portion of its name. For example, the root note in a C chord is a C note. Skip a letter going up the scale and you will find the 3rd. Skip another and will find the 5th (in the case of a C chord, the 3rd would be an E and the 5th would be a G). (The 3rd of a minor chord will be a half-step lower in pitch than that of a major chord)
It is initially much easier to grasp this concept on a keyboard rather than on a guitar, because the notes on a keyboard are laid out linearly. For this reason, I often use a keyboard when first teaching the construction of chords to my guitar students.
These three notes (the Root, 3rd, and 5th) are the basis of a basic Triad chord. From here, the octave of any of these notes can be added. The octave is the next higher occurrence of the same pitch. The order of these notes can also be re-arranged, creating different Voicings of the chord. This is how, for instance, on a guitar there are different ways to play a given chord. You can, for example, play a G in open or barred position. These two versions of the same chord will use the three pitches in different orders and repeat some of them an octave higher, giving the chords different Voicings.
Continuing in the manner above, a seventh chord will contain the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th note from the starting point within a scale. The seventh will occur one note before the Octave, the octave being a repeat of the Root note at a higher pitch.
For major chords there are two variations of sevenths. If the seventh is a half-step (one pitch) below the octave, the chord will be considered a Major Seventh chord, which has a somewhat pretty sound. If the seventh is a whole-step (two pitches) below the octave, the chord will be considered a Dominant Seventh chord, also commonly referred to as simply a Seventh chord, which has a more dissonant sound. For minor chords all sevenths will be a whole-step below the octave, which seems to create a more open sound, although these terms are somewhat subjective.
Adding Seventh chords is a great way to add flavor to Rock, Folk, or Country music, which revolve largely around Triads.
On the other end, Jazz and R&B songs utilize a lot of Seventh chords from the start. To switch these up, try changing some of those Seventh chords to triads.
If you write Blues songs you have most likely realized that the Blues utilizes Dominant Seventh chords almost exclusively. You could try turning all your blues chords into triads and playing them with a straight feel rather than a shuffle. A lot of great rock tunes have emerged from this technique. You could also try turning the I and IV chords into Major Seventh chords, which would transform your Blues Song into a Major key chord progression. (In the key of C Major I, IV, and V chords would then be Cmaj7, Fmaj7, and G7, respectively, but in C Blues they would all be Dominant Seventh chords).
Throw a new Seventh chord into one song, and take one out of another. Experiment! You may just find yourself with some new and exciting additions to your songwriting catalog.
Triads are the most common type of chord. They are built from three notes; the 1st (also know as the root), the 3rd, and the 5th. The root note gives the chord the letter portion of its name. For example, the root note in a C chord is a C note. Skip a letter going up the scale and you will find the 3rd. Skip another and will find the 5th (in the case of a C chord, the 3rd would be an E and the 5th would be a G). (The 3rd of a minor chord will be a half-step lower in pitch than that of a major chord)
It is initially much easier to grasp this concept on a keyboard rather than on a guitar, because the notes on a keyboard are laid out linearly. For this reason, I often use a keyboard when first teaching the construction of chords to my guitar students.
These three notes (the Root, 3rd, and 5th) are the basis of a basic Triad chord. From here, the octave of any of these notes can be added. The octave is the next higher occurrence of the same pitch. The order of these notes can also be re-arranged, creating different Voicings of the chord. This is how, for instance, on a guitar there are different ways to play a given chord. You can, for example, play a G in open or barred position. These two versions of the same chord will use the three pitches in different orders and repeat some of them an octave higher, giving the chords different Voicings.
Continuing in the manner above, a seventh chord will contain the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th note from the starting point within a scale. The seventh will occur one note before the Octave, the octave being a repeat of the Root note at a higher pitch.
For major chords there are two variations of sevenths. If the seventh is a half-step (one pitch) below the octave, the chord will be considered a Major Seventh chord, which has a somewhat pretty sound. If the seventh is a whole-step (two pitches) below the octave, the chord will be considered a Dominant Seventh chord, also commonly referred to as simply a Seventh chord, which has a more dissonant sound. For minor chords all sevenths will be a whole-step below the octave, which seems to create a more open sound, although these terms are somewhat subjective.
Adding Seventh chords is a great way to add flavor to Rock, Folk, or Country music, which revolve largely around Triads.
On the other end, Jazz and R&B songs utilize a lot of Seventh chords from the start. To switch these up, try changing some of those Seventh chords to triads.
If you write Blues songs you have most likely realized that the Blues utilizes Dominant Seventh chords almost exclusively. You could try turning all your blues chords into triads and playing them with a straight feel rather than a shuffle. A lot of great rock tunes have emerged from this technique. You could also try turning the I and IV chords into Major Seventh chords, which would transform your Blues Song into a Major key chord progression. (In the key of C Major I, IV, and V chords would then be Cmaj7, Fmaj7, and G7, respectively, but in C Blues they would all be Dominant Seventh chords).
Throw a new Seventh chord into one song, and take one out of another. Experiment! You may just find yourself with some new and exciting additions to your songwriting catalog.
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