So, the time has come where you’ve decided to learn all of the tones in Maj7, Dom7, min7, and min7b5 chords. It quickly becomes apparent that there is no shortcut and it is going to require some consistent effort to memorize the tones for each chord type for all 16 tones (counting enharmonics). This is going to take a process of Brute Force Tone Recognition.

Different people learn at different rates requiring different methods, the following is one method and the amount of time it will take depends on the individual and the amount of consistent effort put into the process. Be sure not to be too hard on yourself, persistence is key. Apply the process to your instrument. I play guitar, thus, will be discussing topics in the context of guitar. This shouldn’t inhibit you from appling concepts to piano, bass, a wind instrument, whatever it is that you play. It is music, theory is universal. It always makes me die a little inside when I hear/read guitar theory, really, it is just click bait for guitarists. So, let’s have a look at how to approach this:

A A# Bb B C C# Db D Eb E F F# Gb G G# Ab

Those are the chord root tones we will be looking at. We are working on memorizing 7th chords for each type so every chord will have 4 associated tone intervals to commit to memory. The good news is that by memorizing one of the chord types you can begin to alter other chord types if you know the intervals that need to change. So, for instance, by learning all of the Maj7 chords, all you need to think about with Dom7 is flatting the 7th of the Maj7 chord to make it dominant. Here are some of the formulas.

Dom7 = Maj with flatted 7th

Min7 = Maj with flatted 3rd and flatted 7th

Min7b5 = Maj with flatted 3rd, flatted 5th, and flatted 7th

OR

Min7 with flatted 5th (however you like to think about it).

The Major (ionian) scale follows this simple pattern: W W H W W W H ‘W’ = Whole Step and ‘H’ = Half Step. A whole step can best be understood as an interval of 2 semi-tones e.g. A -> Bb ->B. So the interval between A and B is a whole step. A half step is an interval of 1 semi-tone, making A -> Bb a half step. In Western music we have a 12-tone system, within those tones we have 2 sets of intervals that are naturally a half step. Take a look at the tone list above, notice B -> C and E -> F, these are always a semi-tone interval (half step). Lets have a quick look at the C Major Scale, following the whole step/half step pattern. C Major is the most common scale to start with as it contains no sharps or flats.

C D E F G A B C
 W W H W W W H

In this example, the notes are in the top and the associated interval patter is in the spaces below, indicating the distance of the interval. With that information, we can do a little bit of simple math to determine how to build our C Maj7 Chord. First, though, we need to talk about intervals a bit. In the C Major scale example we have 7 unique tones + the octave (8ave). The Root is the scale key, in this case C. We can then begin counting upwards from C to define the intervals.

C D E F G A B C
R 2 3 4 5 6 7 8ave

C is the root 1, D is a Major 2nd, E is a Major 3rd, F is a Perfect 4th, G is a Perfect 5th, A is a Major 6th, and B is a Major 7th. To construct a CMaj7 we will need to use the Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, and the Major 7th (1357). Looking at the C Major scale, that equates to C E G B.

Now, we just need to commit that to memory and that means it is time to go old-school and make up some flash cards.

Homework: Write out the 1 3 5 7 tones for every note in our 16 tone list, above.

I know, that is a bit painful. I empathize, so here is a set of flashcards I made just for you:

More Homework: Pick a “This day is brought to you by the letter …” each day. Try to figure out the chord tones and then check yourself against the associated flash card. Take those tones to your instrument, on guitar play the arpegios on one string. Play the root and sing the root letter name. Sing the 3rd (saying the letter name), then play the 3rd and check yourself and make corrections to your pitch. Sing the 5th and then play the 5th, making pitch corrections, and then do the same with the 7th.

Work the flashcards by chord groupings, do all of the Major 7 chords then all of the Dominant chords, etc… After a few days you’ll realize you’ve memorized a few of these, keep it up, great work!! Before long the tones will come to mind quicker, you’ll be making associations, and will deepen your musical understanding.