The awful 7 problem

There are two videos below: Please listen to both of them. Tell me if one is better than the other. Could these be shorter? Clearer? How can I explain this better!

The awful 7 in music is such a vexing problem that I have done two videos about it, but I’m still not satisfied. The problem is that there is one numbering system for scales and a completely different numbering system for chords. I’m still trying to refine a more sensible approach to explaining this well.

The rest of the story:

The numbering system for chords is what we need to understand most. You should learn this and master it first. All students should learn to read chord symbols. They are not only important for understanding traditional music, they are also the ONLY thing we have for some kinds of music. I did not know this until I was over 21, and that is very late to learn the system.

Continuing

X7 and Xmaj7 are the number one problem for students. For instance, in almost every lesson most students will mix up Gmaj7, G7 and Gm7. Which one has the F#? Which one has the F? What does maj7 mean? What does 7 mean? And what does m7 mean? Is that a different kind of 7?

It turns out that in chords m7 does not exist for the 7 itself. When you see Xm7, it means Xm with 7. The “m” does NOT change the 7. The marking “m” is always for the note that we play above the root, the one we call the “3rd”. It never refers to the 7.

The confusion is in something I was not warned about as a student. C7 does not mean “a C major 7 chord”. It means “C major plus 7”. The name is shortened. It is a contraction. This may seem like a small point, but it is crucial.

Here is what you need to know, and I’m going to start quizzing students to straighten out this problem.

1. Cmaj7 means “C major chord plus major 7”.
2. C7 means “C major chord plus 7”.
3. Cm7 means “C minor chord plus 7”. It can also be written as C-7. Cm7 and C.7 are the same thing
4. Cm7b5 means “start with C minor chord plus 7, then lower the 5th”.

This last one is also called a “half diminished chord” and can be written several ways: Cm7b5, C-7b5, Cm7-5 and C-7-5. I think that last way is ugly, and I would never use it, but it is possible. In chords the symbol “-” can be used to lower any note. But “m” is only used for lowering the 3rd, so I prefer it as clearest.

And “X” simply means that you can form all these chords in 12 different keys.

For now just accept that there are different explanations for the notes in scales, but none of them matter for reading because you will never see them in music. Make the conventions in chord symbols your only priority for reading until you utterly master them