A minor-major seventh chord is composed of four notes where: 1) there are three semitones between the first and the second note; 2) there are four semitones between the second and the third note; and 3) there are four semitones between the third and the fourth note.
Example of a minor-major seventh chord
The A minor-major seventh chord for example is composed of A, C, E, and G#. There are three semitones between A and C, four semitones between C and E, and four semitones between E and G#.
Notation for the minor-major seventh chord
The minor-major seventh chord is denoted by "mmaj7". For example, Ammaj7 = A, C, E, G#.
Construction of the minor-major seventh chord
The minor-major seventh chord can be obtained from the standard minor seventh chord by replacing the minor seventh with a major seventh. The minor seventh chord Amin7 is A, C, E, G. Changing the minor seventh to a major seventh (G to G#) produces the minor-major seventh chord Ammaj7.
The minor-major seventh chord consists of the minor chord (Am = A, C, E in the example above) with the added major seventh (G# in the example above).
Scales that contain the minor-major seventh chord
The minor-major seventh chord occurs naturally in many scales. The following are examples.
- On the root (the tonic) of the melodic ascending minor scale. Ammaj7, for example, occurs in the melodic ascending minor scale in A.
- On the root or the fourth note (the subdominant) of the harmonic minor scale. Ammaj7 occurs in the harmonic minor scales in A and C#.
- On the third note (the mediant) or fifth note (the dominant) of the minor gypsy scale. Ammaj7 occurs in the minor gypsy scale in F# and D.
- On the root or the sixth note (the submediant) of the Hungarian scale. Ammaj7 occurs in the Hungarian scales in A and C#.
- On the second note of the enigmatic scale. Ammaj7 occurs in the enigmatic scale in G#.
- On the second note of the altered scale. Ammaj7 occurs in the altered scale in G#.
- On the second note or the fourth note of the Byzantine scale. Ammaj7 occurs in the Byzantine scales in G# and E.
- On the fifth note of the Lydian-Mixolydian scale. Ammaj7 occurs in the Lydian-Mixolydian scale in D.
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