Let's talk about 7ths.
In my opinion, 7ths are the
gateway to where we are trying
to go in
arranging/improvisation.
It is usually the first and
easiest way to alter a chord,
and 7ths will by themselves add a
lot of depth to your sound.
When we start re-harmonizing
hymns, it will be our goal to
modify almost every chord.
In some cases, we will not use a
completely different chord but
will add color notes to the
existing one. The most
important color note by far is
the 7th. In fact, I want you to
make it a goal to get a 7th into
almost every chord you play.
As a small refresher, let's take
a look at the two 7th chords.
Technically, a dominant 7th is a major chord with a minor 7th added (the minor 7th is the note a whole step down from the root). A major 7th could refer either to a 7th interval or a major chord with the major 7th added to it. Don't be confused--if I discuss adding a dominant 7th, I really mean to add the minor 7th to an existing chord. If I say to add a major 7th, I mean to add a major 7th to an existing chord.
Now, let's take a look at "Just
As I Am" again. Here is
the typical hymnal arrangement.
As you can see, we have a
whopping total of three altered
chords in the entire song (two
G7s and a G9).
Now let's throw in just one 7th
and see what happens. Here
is the first measure in two
variations. The first one
contains just a simple C chord
while the second utilizes a C
major 7th chord. Play
these on the piano and listen
closely to the difference in
sound.
The 7th is the B in the right
hand. I hope you can hear
the beauty of this sound.
The difference between a simple
C chord and a C major 7th is
both subtle and dramatic.
If you don't hear it, keep
playing until you do.
By the way, if the chord sounds
ugly to you, the piano may need
to be tuned. The chords
that we are going to be playing
in the coming weeks contain
dissonance that require the
piano to be reasonably in tune.
In general, the more complex the
chord, the more important the
tuning of the piano is.
Now, let's look at the entire
hymn with a lot of 7ths added.
Before we start talking about
this example, go through and
make sure you can quickly
identify all the 7ths and you
know whether they are major or
dominant 7ths.
Here are a few things to note.
First, see how I have usually
replaced a duplication of the
root note with the 7th.
For example, in the first
measure, I slid down from a C to
a B in the right hand. There is nothing inherently
wrong with doubling notes in the
chord, but you should try to
avoid it if you can (unless you
are doubling the melody note).
This is, by the way, a rule that
I have broken consistently until
recently when I got conscious
about it.
Secondly, note that I use a lot
of major 7ths in this song.
That is a bit unusual.
You will probably find yourself using more dominant 7ths
than major 7ths.
Also, I admit that I am
stretching the use of 7ths in
this example. That
especially goes for the C major
7th which starts sound
repetitious in a hurry. I
would normally alter the chords
considerably but wanted to prove
to you that you add a 7th to
practically any chord and
achieve a better sound without
any other alterations.
You might ask how you might know
whether to choose a dominant 7th
or major 7th. There are no
easy answers to that. You
have to play with them until you
instinctively know which one to
use in various situations.
However, when in doubt, try the
dominant 7th first. Also
keep in mind that major 7ths
tend to create more tension than
dominant 7ths. This is
because of the dissonance caused
by playing two notes a half step
apart. (For example, in a C major 7th chord, B and C are both played. They are a half step apart even though they might not be played that way in the voicing of the chord.)
The next question you might have
is where to play the 7th in the
voicing of the chord (voicing
refers where on the piano each
note in the chord is actually
played). The easiest place
to easily play a 7th is with the
thumb in the left hand.
In the above example, you see me
doing this in the third measure
as well as several other
measures. I made a point
of not always doing that though;
note the 7th is often somewhere in the right hand.
Hopefully, this will get you
started in adding 7ths to your
sound. From now on, as you
play, make sure that you are
including 7ths wherever
possible. After you do it
for a while, it will start
feeling as normal as playing the
root, 3rd and 5th.
Practice strategy:
Pick a hymn and try to add a
7th to every chord possible.
I would advise picking a
song in the key of C if
possible for your first
effort. Stop as you
play each chord and see if a
7th is in the chord.
If you are doubling the root
instead of playing a 7th,
just slide your finger down
to the major or dominant
7th.
