Major 7 Chords
As we have gone through the list of common guitar chords, we have looked at the common major and minor chords. But no list of common chords would be complete without one final group — the major 7 chords.
Want more detailed instructions on how to play guitar? Click Here!
A7 Chord
The first of the major 7 chords is A7. Start by putting your fingers into the A chord. For the A chord, that is a finger on the second fret of the D, G, and B strings. Now, to make the A7 chord, lift up the finger in the middle off the G string, keeping the other two strings pressed. This is the A7 chord. Though a bit less common, you can do an Am7 (A minor 7) in exactly the same way.
E7 Chord
Next on the major 7 chords is E7. If you remember the E chord is with the second fret on the A and D strings and the first fret of the G string. To make E7, again, lift the middle finger. On this chord, that would be the one on the D string. This is the E7 chord.
G7 Chord
As we continue with the major 7 chords, we will learn the G7 chord. The G chord, as you may remember, is with the third fret of the two E strings and the second fret of the A string. To make this a G7, all we need to do is change the higher pitched E string to the first fret. You can think of the G7 chord as a wide C chord position. The fingers are in the same frets, just further apart.
C7 Chord
The next to last of the major 7 chords is the C7 chord. Now, the C7 chord is exactly like the C chord. All the same frets that are hit in the C chord are also hit in the C7 chord. But, instead of the G string being left open, it is played on the 3rd fret. So, you have the 3rd fret of the A and G strings, the second fret of the D string, and the first fret of the B string, with the E strings open.
D7 Chord
The last of the major 7 chords in this list is the D7 chord. The interesting thing about the D7 chord, when you look at it on a chord chart, is that it looks just like the D chord, but “inverted”. The D chord and the D7 chord both have the second fret on the G and higher pitched E strings pressed. But the difference is in the B string. Instead of playing the 3rd fret, you want to play the first fret of the B string
These are the most common major 7 chords. Although there are many more, I’ve shown you the ones most seen. If you know the 15 chords shown here on this site, you have a good chance of playing the vast majority of music out there. Notice I made no mention of the B chords, outside of the B major. While you will find some B chords, you won’t see them as often as the other chords I have listed.
Learn How to Play the Guitar with Jamorma!