Week 3: New Chord Challenge: min(maj7)

Hello everyone! Thanks to our participants from last week:
Telecrater, MoshZilla1016

Every week for the next 8 weeks, we will choose a chord. In that given week, we will have to find someway to use that chord in a song, whether in be part of a progression, arpeggiated, fingerpicked, etc. Though we must write something that will use this chord shape in one week. I figured, why not let the rest of this board benefit from our undertaking.

So here's the deal:

1. Somewhere at the beginning of the week, I will select a chord for us to all learn about.
2. I will post a little bit of background on the chord, how it could be used or where it is being used.
3. You will all noodle around on your guitar with it.
4. Record your favorite riff, progression, lick, etc.
5. Post here and explain to us your mentality when you approached this problem (MOST IMPORTANT PART!!!)

So, after working with some Diminished chords, Full and Half, I figured we can look at something other than diminished. This week's chord is:

The Minor Major 7 chord!

This one might be difficult, so put your theory caps on and take a stab at it! Once again, I'll provide some supplementary material here for ya to get you started.

Wikipedia: Minor Major Seventh Chords

Chord Diagrams for m(maj7) - Make sure you look at multiple chords for all voicings

And, for the first time, here's an example of quite an awesome song that uses the chord.

Pink Floyd - Us and Them
Youtube Video
Tabs


Good luck! Have fun! Experiment!

Just a bump before the weekend!! Get your theory on!

Who calls a dominate chord a minor major 7. That just seems awkward.

It's not a dominant chord a dominant 7th would be a major minor 7, which is a clumsy way to phrase it.

However we don't have a term for the minor major 7 as far as I know hence the mouthful of a name

opps. my mistake

This chord is very strange. It is a standard minor chord thru the 1-3-5, but an augmented chord 3-5-7. (1-3 minor, 3-5 major, 5-7 major). Makes it very difficult to use in progressions and is not used widely in popular music. I'm struggling to find a decent progression.

I've been tinkerer around with a way to use this chord and it's been quite a challenge. To me it's usefullness if found in in a passing type of chord. I'm sure the more I thinker the better the chance that I can find a home for it.

I really liked starting with the maj7min and resolving to the maj7. I would not see why you could not do the same thing and resolve to a minor.

My progression this week is

Cmaj7(min) Cmaj7   Dm7    Am7    G7    Fmaj

--3-----------------5-------------------1--------------------------

--4---------5-------6-----5------3------1--------------------------

--4---------4-------5-----5------4------2--------------------------

------------5-------7-----5------3------3--------------------------

--3---------3-------5------------5------3--------------------------

--------------------------5------3------1--------------------------

I was not happy with the recording but I was really struggling finding a groove and rhythm.

How long do we got?

You have as long as you want. Just know that every week I'll be posting a new one, so if you don't want to fall behind, get it done by monday or tuesday!

@telecrater - Great use!! Yeah, this chord definitely is the hardest so far of the three weeks. I'm probably gonna be nice next week and pick something easy. I've been struggling the same way you have and have only seen it used as a way to walk.

I took one my standard progressions, and modified it to include this chord. I've used the minor 4 in a lot of progressions to lead to the 1, so I just made the minor 4 a minor(maj7) 4. Here's the progression:

 Em     Am7    Em     Am7    Bm7    C     Cmin(maj7) Gmaj7

|-0-|  |-0-|  |-0-|  |-0-|  |-2-|  |-3-|  |-3-|      |-3-|

|-0-|  |-1-|  |-0-|  |-1-|  |-3-|  |-5-|  |-4-|      |-3-|

|-0-|  |-0-|  |-0-|  |-0-|  |-2-|  |-5-|  |-4-|      |-4-|

|-2-|  |-2-|  |-2-|  |-2-|  |-4-|  |-x-|  |-5-|      |-3-|

|-2-|  |-0-|  |-2-|  |-0-|  |-2-|  |-3-|  |-3-|      |-5-|

|-0-|  |-x-|  |-0-|  |-x-|  |-x-|  |-x-|  |-x-|      |-3-|

Embedding isn't working, so:
minmaj7.wma

This one was INSANE but awesome anyway. I had to get into a Dixieland(banjos??) feel to work this chord in. Here goes nothing..

   E    E7   A  Dbdim  E   Dbm    A    B     E    A    E  EmM7   E

e--7----7----5----6----7----9-----5----7-----7----5----7----7----7

B--9----9----5----5----9----9-----5----7-----9----5----9----8----9

G--9----7----6----6----9----9-----6----8-----9----6----9----8----9

D--9----9----7----5----9----11----7----9-----9----7----9----9----9

A--7----7----7---------7---------------------7---------7----7----7

E-----------------------------------------------------------------

@moshzilla1016
Love it! Especially love your ability to take some stuff from previous weeks and work that in to this week's project as well. Great sound, great vibe. :)

Just as a note, we will pick up again come this weekend. Finals have slowed me down a bit, so I'm behind. Sorry!!

is there a new one? very nice idea for a challenge-thing!

This chord is common in modern jazz.

Its the first diatonic chord, Im(maj7), to the melodic minor scale and U can combinate it whit the scales other diatonic chords: iib9sus4, IIImaj7#5, iV7(#11), V7b13, Vim7b5 and Vii7mb5b9.

4 example U can let Db9sus4 substitute for etiher Dm7 or Dm7b5 and then play G7b13 then let it resolve in the tonica Cm(maj7).
A ii(sub)-V7(alt)-I progression..

what happened to this? it was an awesome idea?

I agree!! This is an awesome project, it was fun and challenging. JustJeff set out to do 8 but only got 6 done. I think he got swamped with a term paper. Here are some links to the other posts JustJeff completed.

Week 1: New Chord Challenge

Week 2: New Chord Challenge

Week 3: New Chord Challenge: min(maj7)

Week 4: New Chord Challenge: maj9 and m9

Week 5: New Chord Challenge: 6 Chords/a>

Week 6: New Chord Challenge: 9#5!

I hope we have members who are willing to put this kind of effort into this communities content. Like the weekly backing tracks they are an invaluable resource.

e--0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---2---0



B--0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0



G--0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---2---0



D--5---5---5---5---4---2---2---2---1---5



A--7---6---5---4---5---4---3---2---2---7



E------------------------------0-------0

Em, EmM7, E7, E6, Em9, E6, Cmaj7, Em, B7, and back to Em. Simple, yet satisfying.

Does anybody want to start up a new challenge?

A new challenge would be cool but I wouldn't consider this thread as being over. Any one could do all of these challenges many times. It may be interesting to see how someone would use each chord in different ways. Just my opinion.