"I hope this isn't the worst video you have watched. " STITCH. No sir, this is the best video I have ever seen simplifying seventh chords. You sir, are a genius at breaking things down.
it's my 74th birthday today, and I've been playing guitar since I was 16, so I know that all this stuff works. It's only today though, that I found out why it works! Thanks so much.
I woke up this morning and literally said to myself: "Self, I want to learn about 7th chords today" Then this vid popped up this afternoon. I am now convinced the old saying is true... "When the student is ready, the teacher appears" Thank you Stitch. I'm watching this one a few times. you rock dude.
Interesting tidbit: when you add extensions, you’re building a triad on top of a root note. Staying in the key of C: Cmaj7 is a C-note with an Em triad; Am7 is an A-note with C-major triad; G7 is a G-note with a B-diminished triad, etc. What’s cool about knowing this is, if you know your triads and arpeggios, you can play melody around the upper triad while the rhythm section supplies the root note. When I think about these, I’m always relating it back to the fretboard. Chords are built by stacking thirds: root-maj third-minor third-major third. Stacking thirds on the fretboard is really easy if you know your intervals.
OOOhhhhhh, I get it now. "Dominant 7th are always good because they are minor AND Major"... that explains so much why I was breaking my skull to understand sometimes in which key some songs are...so many thanks for lighting up another light in one of the many tiny rooms of guitar knowledge.
Stich, you are such a good teacher!! I knew this stuff but watched anyway because I always understand it better after your breakdown. You should call your channel the “sweet spot” because you always got the sweet spot between theory and useability. Great stuff! Would love a lesson on voicings for extended chords
Fantastic teacher! I saw a video of yours 9 months or so ago, and it helped a lot. Then I went to find it recently and I couldn't - I was devastated. Spent a while combing my playlists and watch history and finally found you. Now I'm subscribed! Thanks for everything!
"Cruela DeVille" is a really excellent song you can learn for using dominant 7th chords in unusual places. Makes you sound better than you are with a few simple shapes.
You seem to be the most delightfully nice person on the entirety of UA-cam. And you know what you're talking about, to boot. Subscribed and already purchased one of your charts. I'll likely be picking up more as time goes by.
I love your videos. You are making my journey to learn guitar an amazing adventure. 10 years from now when I'm jamming I will still see your face in the back of my mind. Especially when I play a 7th chord. But don't be afraid to teach theory as well. I retain more when I understand the why. Every video I watch it seems like they are scared to talk theory.
Thank you Ian. I have been monkeying around with the guitar for years and always find your utube lessons to be so helpful for me. Your presentations are so clear and your self deprecating humour is just right. I think it is about time for me to put a little something into your Patreon tip box even though I have bought a few of your courses. Btw I am 79 years old
Thanks again Stich 🎸🎸 Your presentation is getting better and better and very interesting and the way you convey the message is simple to understand and wonderful!! 👏👏
Bear with me on this. I've known about, and played, maj7 / m7 / dom7 chords for years. One of my favourite tunes to "switch off" to when playing at home is FatBoy Slim's "Bird Of Prey" which uses Gmaj7 / G / Gm7 / G as the progression. Anyway. I watched this vid earlier (loved the thunder at the start; I love a good thunderstorm), just to keep me fresh. It reminded me why I subscribed a few weeks ago. The great thing for me, Mr. Stitch, is your teaching style. Don't take this the wrong way, but I almost start to ignore your stuff as your video goes on. It's because you're detailing the foundations of the lesson early on (classic example is your Dorian masterclass), and they are so easy to follow I just end up noodling away using the subject of your given video. Example for this one on 7 chords : Whilst you were in the key of G, I messed around with Em7 / Am7 / G7 and realised it was the breakdown chords of "Xtal" by Aphex Twin; one of my favourite "ambient" tunes. I find your videos refreshing in their honesty. Marty S is teaching stuff I'm caring less about, and Carl B - although very good - does "over-think" things at times. Keep up the good work, chap.
I just happen to have run across this video, and I am so glad I did. You are a great teacher. Thanks for helping me better understand the differences in 7th chords.
You're the best man, like a big ol' dancing teddy bear. I have always been insecure about 7's and your explanation just blew my mind. Now I know why I do that thing I do :-) Thanks to you I CAN EXPLAIN IT!!!
Just a suggestion, with regard to the dominant 7 chords. You mentioned they may be thrown in at anytime and that they provide a powerful pull back to the 1 chord. So for compositions, they are great for changing key. I.E. change a major chord to a dominant 7th, then go to the 1 chord of the key to which it belongs. Just a suggestion. Really great videos and very well performed and put together. Love the links to previous videos. ♡
Thank you so much! Pretty simple and easy to understand, makes me want to incorporate immediately into my playing. I’m hearing a lot of Pink Floyd in here...
I just spent 20 minutes watching this video, even though I’m familiar with most of the content, because you crack me up! I like the “conspiracy theory” of why 7ths can be put anywhere. Also, when you were talking about the dominant 7th chord usually being the 5th, the song “Ophelia” popped into my mind. Of course right near the end you played the sequence of chords found in Ophelia...as if you read my mind before I ever saw your video!
I saw the picture in the background before ive even gotten into the video and i couldnt resist giving a like and a sub. That was a great piece of marketing
Nice lesson Ian. Let me add a comment to help unglaze some eyes. (I hope you don't mind me building on your lesson.) I'm a curious guys who likes to understand things: for example, Why is a DOMINANT 7TH called a Dominant 7th? Here's why. For a start remember that the V (5th) step of the scale is called the 'Dominant', just as I is the 'Root', III the 'Median', IV the Sub-dominant' etc. in classical theory. As you explained, we build chords by stacking the alternative notes, 1st, 3rd and ,5th starting on each note in the I II III IV V VI VII MAJOR SCALE, no matter what key you choose, but let's choose C for simplicity; no # or b. It is useful to have the music staff (you know, those 5 lines they write music on) in mind as you do this 1,3,5, building of the chords. Get out a sheet of paper and a pencil. Sketch a standard staff, or use a printed staff page. Let's build C major: C, E, G. i.e. C on the line beneath the staff, skip the D, then E on the bottom line of the staff, skip the F, then G on the second staff line. You can do this for each note in the scale, C,D,E,F,G,A,B, using either the lines or the spaces, building on just 1,3, and 5. 3 chords emerge as major, 3 minor, and one diminished. Because of there being whole steps, and half steps in the major scale (E and F are just a semitone apart, as are B and C, while all the others are 2 semitones apart) this explains why there is the mix of major, minor and diminished. Go ahead and do it. Now you will find that these two semitone jumps also cause funny things to happen when you add a 7th step to the chord. You will find that 7ths built by this stacking turn out to me Major 7ths (i.e. 1 semitone below the upper root note) in the case of root notes II III VI AND VII, but 'flat' sevenths on I IV and V ( i.e. 2 semitones below the upper root). Go ahead and do it. Building on G on the second line of the staff you skip A to add B, skip C to add D, then go to F, the very top line of the staff. You will see that F is the 7th built on G (the Dominant in the C scale). This is 2 semitones below G, and thus a 'Flat 7). Now I believe the reason these flat 7, 7th chords are called Dominant 7ths is that one of them, the 7th built on the Dominant (V) of the scale, and since this particular chord strongly leads you back to the tonic, it has been given the honour of naming this form of 7th. But you can see that a 7 stack on the Root (I), and the Subdominant (IV) also give you a flat 'Dominant' 7. This V step in the scale was named 'Dominant' in the first place since along with the Root it is most important in the structure of music. By extension, now when you add a Flat 7 onto any major triad it is called a 'Dominant 7th' My apologies for the little essay here: I've tried to keep it as brief as necessary. All in the interests of understanding. I hadn't read this anywhere, but in wishing to discover why such chords were called 'Dominant' (not just because they are important) I stumbled on these facts. Don't give up music theory folks; it really is the wind beneath your musical wings. Hope it was useful, and again my apologies for stepping into Stitch's domain. I wouldn't have posted this if it wasn't for him!! BILL KNOX
Thank you for the great explanation on 7th chords. I've learnt a great deal from Yr vids. I wonder if you'll make a video on soloing over 2,5,1 jazz chord progression? They use a lot of 7th chords I presume. I have difficulties following the 251 solo well and always ended up relying on the root major scale mostly... which is quite limited after a while. Somehow I find it more challenging to solo over 251 than the blues 145 progression.. Thanks for the vid anyway!
In Your video You are mentioning the secondary dominant chords, it would be interesting to do a video about this topic something like secondary dominant for dummies :-). Awesome video as always, thank You!
Isn't it common in blues just to use dominant 7 chords, and not major 7 chords? Good lesson. Thanks. Edit... ok, you answered that at the end, sorry... impatient.
Ha ha ha....Ian, I'm out here laughing my *@$# off.... All of us out here playing "Cowboy Chords" are going "Dang it...the ONLY 7th I recognized was that D7 !!! ". Great vid, Ian !!! Really a good, laid-back, no pressure explanation, sir. Obviously some of us play all styles and forms...and riffs/lead/bass etc. etc.... but there are some heads spinning out there, Ian. You opened a LOT of eyes with this one....good job !!! I think the term you were fishing for (regarding 7th chords), is their tonal sound naturally wants to RESOLVE to a Major chord, usually to the I chord (ONE chord), etc. to COMPLETE THE (musical) phrase. The singular thing you do that I (and I'm sure others) appreciate, is showing the various alternative chord shapes for a given chord (in real time), ..... the Bm, for example....'showed the three note, three finger version on strings 1,2 and 3, as well as the "full" version (fingered on all 6 strings), and the Barre Chord version, also. I know that teaching technique is appreciated by many watching your vids. (and I use that short version on the top 3 strings a LOT, especially if I'm pushing a 110-160 beats-per-minute (BPM) tempo, in live performances or in studio....fewer chances of messing up, and can hit it quickly and move to next position. Thanks for all you do, for so many, Ian. Best always...keep 'em coming !!!! ... Crossbow
![How To Write Progressions using min7, maj7, and Dominant 7th chords [Songwriting - Music Theory]](/img/n.gif)
"I hope this isn't the worst video you have watched. " STITCH. No sir, this is the best video I have ever seen simplifying seventh chords. You sir, are a genius at breaking things down.
Totally agree so many videos confuse the hell of me love this guy
it's my 74th birthday today, and I've been playing guitar since I was 16, so I know that all this stuff works. It's only today though, that I found out why it works! Thanks so much.
Same, I've been playing forever as well and I know this stuff, still got something out of this lesson tho. Happy birthday brother.
Your the only one who explained the 7s where I actually understood it. Thanks!
I woke up this morning and literally said to myself: "Self, I want to learn about 7th chords today" Then this vid popped up this afternoon. I am now convinced the old saying is true... "When the student is ready, the teacher appears" Thank you Stitch. I'm watching this one a few times. you rock dude.
This video is one of my top five on youtube
You've helped me pick up 7th chords in less than a day, 20 years after I learnt majors and minors. Thank you, sir, you are a brilliant teacher.
Interesting tidbit: when you add extensions, you’re building a triad on top of a root note. Staying in the key of C: Cmaj7 is a C-note with an Em triad; Am7 is an A-note with C-major triad; G7 is a G-note with a B-diminished triad, etc. What’s cool about knowing this is, if you know your triads and arpeggios, you can play melody around the upper triad while the rhythm section supplies the root note. When I think about these, I’m always relating it back to the fretboard. Chords are built by stacking thirds: root-maj third-minor third-major third. Stacking thirds on the fretboard is really easy if you know your intervals.
Nice! I've been craving a bit of new theory lately.
Stich, you have the best teaching personality ,I mean its very easy to follow your instructions, Thank's
Dude!!! Stop doubting your teaching cause it's always super super enlightening. I love your vulgarisation of theory 💪
I don’t wanna wait, for our chords to be over 🎶 -this lesson is 7th heaven
OOOhhhhhh, I get it now. "Dominant 7th are always good because they are minor AND Major"... that explains so much why I was breaking my skull to understand sometimes in which key some songs are...so many thanks for lighting up another light in one of the many tiny rooms of guitar knowledge.
Stich, you are such a good teacher!! I knew this stuff but watched anyway because I always understand it better after your breakdown. You should call your channel the “sweet spot” because you always got the sweet spot between theory and useability. Great stuff!
Would love a lesson on voicings for extended chords
Three minutes in, I decided you're one of the best guitar teachers I've ever listened to!
I think it would have been extra help to show how you find those seventh notes. Is it based on having a knowledge of scales prior?
Fantastic teacher! I saw a video of yours 9 months or so ago, and it helped a lot. Then I went to find it recently and I couldn't - I was devastated. Spent a while combing my playlists and watch history and finally found you. Now I'm subscribed! Thanks for everything!
So glad you found the channel again! Thanks for the support.
Your Kid's sign reminded me to hit Like! :)
"Cruela DeVille" is a really excellent song you can learn for using dominant 7th chords in unusual places. Makes you sound better than you are with a few simple shapes.
Amazing, this cleared my doubts of 7th chords since 5 years of my guitar playing
Man I like your background. Neatly decorated
Complete with a “give my dad a like” drawing.
You seem to be the most delightfully nice person on the entirety of UA-cam. And you know what you're talking about, to boot. Subscribed and already purchased one of your charts. I'll likely be picking up more as time goes by.
Cmaj7 is such a beautiful chord. I LOVE IT!
You sir are a freaking gem of a human being thank you for sharing your knowledge
At last, I finally understand Dom 7s & how & why they fit - phew! Many thanks indeed
I love the way you broke everything down.Thank you for this!
Its alot to know about 7th chords. Seems good just to jump in and play and learn what you need as we go. Thanks for everything.
I love your videos. You are making my journey to learn guitar an amazing adventure. 10 years from now when I'm jamming I will still see your face in the back of my mind. Especially when I play a 7th chord. But don't be afraid to teach theory as well. I retain more when I understand the why. Every video I watch it seems like they are scared to talk theory.
Thank you Ian. I have been monkeying around with the guitar for years and always find your utube lessons to be so helpful for me. Your presentations are so clear and your self deprecating humour is just right. I think it is about time for me to put a little something into your Patreon tip box even though I have bought a few of your courses. Btw I am 79 years old
Thanks again Stich 🎸🎸 Your presentation is getting better and better and very interesting and the way you convey the message is simple to understand and wonderful!! 👏👏
Love your way of explaining. Calm and not overwhelming...
Thanku very much sir. ❤️
Probably the best guitar lesson I've ever watched on UA-cam! Great Job Stich..
"Give my Dad a Like" - Sure thing pal! :p
Thanks Mr. Stitch I always wondered what the reasoning behind the 7th chords were so for me was a. great lesson.
That C-D7-G progression sounds so nice!
Continuously the best guitar teacher on UA-cam thanks for all the great videos
Stich, you explain guitar theory so well, thank you for putting these videos out!
That mug makes it feel like I'm at work and my supervisor is giving me bad news
Bear with me on this. I've known about, and played, maj7 / m7 / dom7 chords for years. One of my favourite tunes to "switch off" to when playing at home is FatBoy Slim's "Bird Of Prey" which uses Gmaj7 / G / Gm7 / G as the progression. Anyway. I watched this vid earlier (loved the thunder at the start; I love a good thunderstorm), just to keep me fresh. It reminded me why I subscribed a few weeks ago. The great thing for me, Mr. Stitch, is your teaching style. Don't take this the wrong way, but I almost start to ignore your stuff as your video goes on. It's because you're detailing the foundations of the lesson early on (classic example is your Dorian masterclass), and they are so easy to follow I just end up noodling away using the subject of your given video. Example for this one on 7 chords : Whilst you were in the key of G, I messed around with Em7 / Am7 / G7 and realised it was the breakdown chords of "Xtal" by Aphex Twin; one of my favourite "ambient" tunes. I find your videos refreshing in their honesty. Marty S is teaching stuff I'm caring less about, and Carl B - although very good - does "over-think" things at times. Keep up the good work, chap.
"... And all of a sudden seventh chords were born!" Wow, I never knew! That had me rolling. Fantastic lesson. Top notch tutelage!
This video just blew my mind. Thank you very much for all you do. You are a wizard.
I just happen to have run across this video, and I am so glad I did. You are a great teacher. Thanks for helping me better understand the differences in 7th chords.
You're the best man, like a big ol' dancing teddy bear. I have always been insecure about 7's and your explanation just blew my mind. Now I know why I do that thing I do :-) Thanks to you I CAN EXPLAIN IT!!!
Just a suggestion, with regard to the dominant 7 chords. You mentioned they may be thrown in at anytime and that they provide a powerful pull back to the 1 chord. So for compositions, they are great for changing key. I.E. change a major chord to a dominant 7th, then go to the 1 chord of the key to which it belongs. Just a suggestion.
Really great videos and very well performed and put together. Love the links to previous videos. ♡
Great lesson stitch
Thank you so much! Pretty simple and easy to understand, makes me want to incorporate immediately into my playing. I’m hearing a lot of Pink Floyd in here...
Just wonderful Stitch. You made it so easy to understand. Thank you.
Ian, thanks for this lesson. It was informative to me.
I just spent 20 minutes watching this video, even though I’m familiar with most of the content, because you crack me up! I like the “conspiracy theory” of why 7ths can be put anywhere. Also, when you were talking about the dominant 7th chord usually being the 5th, the song “Ophelia” popped into my mind. Of course right near the end you played the sequence of chords found in Ophelia...as if you read my mind before I ever saw your video!
Thank you so much for explaining and providing ideas on songwriting.
This made me think of ‘Photographs and Memories’ Jim Croce hahha love your videos, your so easy to listen to
I finally see the light!!! This is a major leap forward for me!!!!
Very good lesson. Thank you, Sir
Very helpful vid thanks
Thank you man. You are a great teacher.
Another GREAT lesson from a GREAT teacher!
That was a wonderful lesson. THANK YOU.
I just learned something. Thanks and Stay Well.
Brilliant video.. It has enlightened me on the use of 7 chords.
Thunder rain is a good backing track
Great lesson! I finally understand 7th chords, AND how to apply them. Damn, you really are the best teacher on here, mayn. ❤
Great lesson! Thank you!
Another excellent lesson Ian, you're the best!!!
Thanku very sir great 8nformation
This was literally the most insightful video I ever seent , for real
Very helpful even though I lost it a bit toward the end. Thanks
Another great video thanks for the theory to back it and help understand
It’s an amazing video thank you. I am a mature beginner and it was so helpful
I saw the picture in the background before ive even gotten into the video and i couldnt resist giving a like and a sub. That was a great piece of marketing
Great lesson man, much thanks!
Great way of teaching and explaining 7th chords. Now the stew thickens in my kitchen.
Thank you for your ideas with 7th chords. Leant something!
Thank you so much...amazing knowledge!!!!
Stitch your theory lessons are awesome
Thanks for this, it was very easy to follow.
Nice lesson Ian. Let me add a comment to help unglaze some eyes. (I hope you don't mind me building on your lesson.) I'm a curious guys who likes to understand things: for example, Why is a DOMINANT 7TH called a Dominant 7th? Here's why. For a start remember that the V (5th) step of the scale is called the 'Dominant', just as I is the 'Root', III the 'Median', IV the Sub-dominant' etc. in classical theory.
As you explained, we build chords by stacking the alternative notes, 1st, 3rd and ,5th starting on each note in the I II III IV V VI VII MAJOR SCALE, no matter what key you choose, but let's choose C for simplicity; no # or b.
It is useful to have the music staff (you know, those 5 lines they write music on) in mind as you do this 1,3,5, building of the chords. Get out a sheet of paper and a pencil. Sketch a standard staff, or use a printed staff page.
Let's build C major: C, E, G. i.e. C on the line beneath the staff, skip the D, then E on the bottom line of the staff, skip the F, then G on the second staff line.
You can do this for each note in the scale, C,D,E,F,G,A,B, using either the lines or the spaces, building on just 1,3, and 5. 3 chords emerge as major, 3 minor, and one diminished.
Because of there being whole steps, and half steps in the major scale (E and F are just a semitone apart, as are B and C, while all the others are 2 semitones apart) this explains why there is the mix of major, minor and diminished. Go ahead and do it.
Now you will find that these two semitone jumps also cause funny things to happen when you add a 7th step to the chord.
You will find that 7ths built by this stacking turn out to me Major 7ths (i.e. 1 semitone below the upper root note) in the case of root notes II III VI AND VII, but 'flat' sevenths on I IV and V ( i.e. 2 semitones below the upper root). Go ahead and do it. Building on G on the second line of the staff you skip A to add B, skip C to add D, then go to F, the very top line of the staff.
You will see that F is the 7th built on G (the Dominant in the C scale). This is 2 semitones below G, and thus a 'Flat 7).
Now I believe the reason these flat 7, 7th chords are called Dominant 7ths is that one of them, the 7th built on the Dominant (V) of the scale, and since this particular chord strongly leads you back to the tonic, it has been given the honour of naming this form of 7th. But you can see that a 7 stack on the Root (I), and the Subdominant (IV) also give you a flat 'Dominant' 7.
This V step in the scale was named 'Dominant' in the first place since along with the Root it is most important in the structure of music.
By extension, now when you add a Flat 7 onto any major triad it is called a 'Dominant 7th'
My apologies for the little essay here: I've tried to keep it as brief as necessary. All in the interests of understanding. I hadn't read this anywhere, but in wishing to discover why such chords were called 'Dominant' (not just because they are important) I stumbled on these facts.
Don't give up music theory folks; it really is the wind beneath your musical wings.
Hope it was useful, and again my apologies for stepping into Stitch's domain. I wouldn't have posted this if it wasn't for him!!
BILL KNOX
Thanks Stich, you make thing simple - great!
Eric Clapton cross roads uses D7 for the 4 chord
Great lesson as usual
I finally understand it. Thank you
Thanks as always Stich!!!
I really appreciate how you teach!!!
here's my like Dad! Thanks! Learn a lot here!
You always make me smile 😊
Good explanation. Like the thunder too.
I love you buddy thanks for all your knowledge and fun stories
You know it's gonna be a deep video when he's holding a cup of coffee rather than a pick 😉
I, too, love thunderstorms :)
I’m hearing Wild Horses in this lesson.
Great video sir, thank you.
Thank you for the great explanation on 7th chords. I've learnt a great deal from Yr vids.
I wonder if you'll make a video on soloing over 2,5,1 jazz chord progression? They use a lot of 7th chords I presume.
I have difficulties following the 251 solo well and always ended up relying on the root major scale mostly... which is quite limited after a while.
Somehow I find it more challenging to solo over 251 than the blues 145 progression..
Thanks for the vid anyway!
In Your video You are mentioning the secondary dominant chords, it would be interesting to do a video about this topic something like secondary dominant for dummies :-). Awesome video as always, thank You!
Thank you, now I know something about 7 key
Isn't it common in blues just to use dominant 7 chords, and not major 7 chords?
Good lesson. Thanks.
Edit... ok, you answered that at the end, sorry... impatient.
Thank you so much man this is such a good video
Very well explained and understandable…thanks so much!
You’re seriously the coolest guy ever
Ha ha ha....Ian, I'm out here laughing my *@$# off.... All of us out here playing "Cowboy Chords" are going "Dang it...the ONLY 7th I recognized was that D7 !!! ".
Great vid, Ian !!! Really a good, laid-back, no pressure explanation, sir. Obviously some of us play all styles and forms...and riffs/lead/bass etc. etc.... but there are some heads spinning out there, Ian. You opened a LOT of eyes with this one....good job !!!
I think the term you were fishing for (regarding 7th chords), is their tonal sound naturally wants to RESOLVE to a Major chord, usually to the I chord (ONE chord), etc. to COMPLETE THE (musical) phrase.
The singular thing you do that I (and I'm sure others) appreciate, is showing the various alternative chord shapes for a given chord (in real time), ..... the Bm, for example....'showed the three note, three finger version on strings 1,2 and 3, as well as the "full" version (fingered on all 6 strings), and the Barre Chord version, also. I know that teaching technique is appreciated by many watching your vids. (and I use that short version on the top 3 strings a LOT, especially if I'm pushing a 110-160 beats-per-minute (BPM) tempo, in live performances or in studio....fewer chances of messing up, and can hit it quickly and move to next position.
Thanks for all you do, for so many, Ian. Best always...keep 'em coming !!!! ... Crossbow
Excellent lesson bro 🤓👍
Excellent explanation.
Thanks for unscrambling my brain cell. You do a great job uncomplicating things. Peace, Just Sam
Cool lesson, thanks. (I'm pretty sure the chord progression at 19:40 is Ophelia by The Band.)
😉
@@StichMethodGuitar Great song. Thanks again.
PS - Enjoying your Master Blues class as well!
Great lesson thanks
Loved it! 👍😊🎸