When to use Maj 7th

C

CraigHilsenrath

Blues Newbie
Greetings,

I searched the forums but could not find something close to my question. It seems obvious to me that you wouldn't ever want to use a major 7th in a traditional 12 bar blues (please tell me if I'm wrong). But in other circumstances it might sound very nice. For example, one of my favorite Duane Allman licks starts on the major 7th. I'm talking about the first fill of the bridge/break in "Ain't Wastin' Time no More" after the vocal line "You don't need no gypsy to tell you why."

Since he's playing slide I'm certain he's in open E tuning so maybe he's just using it as a grace note. But the next fill after the next vocal line uses it again. This isn't a 12 bar blues and I don't think it uses any dom 7th chords.

So my question is, in a "bluesy" song like that are there any guidelines for employing the maj 7th while soloing or filling.

If there's a thread that answers this please point me to it.

Thanks in advance!

Craig
 
OG_Blues

OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
The Maj 7th chord variations and alterations are some of my favorite chords to play - but not so much in blues.
On page 14 of BGU Griff notes that the Maj 7th chord is not used much in blues.
This is certainly true of "classic" or "straight ahead" blues.
As soon as you move into the realm of "jazz blues", the tables turn, and the Maj 7th will be almost as common as the dominant 7th is in classic blues.
Below is a link to a short article that gives some tips on how to use the pentatonic scale to solo over the Maj 7th chords.
In a classic blues setting (or jam), attempts to force Maj 7ths into the mix will probably be met with looks you don't want to be on the receiving end of.
Like PapaBear said, "let your ears tell you where to use it". I would have said "let your ears tell you where not to use it", which will be just about everywhere on most blues tunes.
It will be found on somewhat rare occasion in certain songs that don't follow the simple / strict classic blues progression.

http://www.davidepannozzo.com/2017/10/11/using-pentatonic-scale-over-maj7-chords/
 
Elio

Elio

Student Of The Blues
I think of it more as a jazz chord but I use it at the beginning of the walkup in Stormy Monday and I think it was in TBone Walker's version.
 
david moon

david moon

Attempting the Blues
In Still got the Blues for You, in the usual key (starting on Dm- we can argue whether the song is in Am or C) the C and F chords can be spiced up with a maj7

Dm G7 Cmaj7 Fmaj7 Bm7b5 Em
 
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