Minor Major Seventh Chord
A minor triad with a major seventh on top: C, E flat, G and B. The dark third and the bright leading note disagree with each other, and that argument is the sound.
- 4 notes
- 1 b3 5 7
- uneasy
which styles use it
- Film music
- Jazz
- Tango
- Metal
Which notes are in a minor major seventh?
A minor triad plus the note one half step under the octave. In C: C, E flat, G and B.
- C, the root
- E flat, the minor third
- G, the fifth
- B, the major seventh
Why does it sound so uneasy?
Because the two halves come from different places. The minor third is the dark note of a minor key. The major seventh is the leading note, which belongs to major and wants to climb to the root. Put them in one chord and neither of them wins.
Bernard Herrmann used it so prominently in his film scores that it picked up the nickname the Hitchcock chord, and once you know that you cannot unhear it.
Where do you find it?
On the first degree of harmonic minor. That scale raises the seventh note so the key gets a proper dominant, and the side effect is that the home chord turns into a minor major seventh. In A harmonic minor: A, C, E and G sharp.
In practice you meet it inside a descending line. Hold a minor chord and walk the top voice down one half step at a time: Cm, CmMaj7, Cm7, C6. The chord names look dramatic, the move is one finger sliding.
Which chord in that walking line?
All four have C, E flat and G underneath. Only the top note moves, one half step at a time.
- Cm (C Eb G) - The starting point, nothing on top.
- CmMaj7 (C Eb G B) - The leading note. Tense, and the reason the line has a direction at all.
- Cm7 (C Eb G Bb) - One step down, and the tension lets go.
- C6 (C Eb G A) - One more step, and the chord has come to rest.
Common mistakes
- Voicing the seventh right next to the root
B against C in the same octave is the sharpest clash in the chord. Sometimes that is what you want, but it should be a choice.
- Using it as a resting chord
The leading note wants to move. Leave it sitting and it starts to nag.
Keep going
Everything in chords
- Major Seventh Chord
- Dominant Seventh Chord
- Minor Seventh Chord
- Diminished Seventh Chord
- Minor Major Seventh Chord