G major seventh

Gmaj7

Also written GM7 · GΔ7 · · Gj7

NotesG · B · D · F♯
Formula1 · 3 · 5 · 7
G1B3D5F♯7
Root position

The major 7th: I of G major and IV of D major. The 7th sits a semitone under the octave, and that small rub is what makes it sound finished and unfinished at once. The ii–V–I that ends on it: Am7D7 → Gmaj7.

How pianists voice Gmaj7

Nobody plays a jazz chord in root position. These are the shapes that actually get played — the same ones Cadenza shows when you play the chord.

Shell Left hand

G1B3F♯7

1 · 3 · 7 — root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what the chord is. Left hand, low; everything else is colour.

Rootless A From the 3rd

B3D5A9F♯7

3 · 5 · 7 · 9 — no root: the bass player has it. The left-hand voicing of modern jazz piano. Without G underneath, the same keys read as Bm7 — the bass turns them into Gmaj7.

Rootless B From the 7th

A9B3D5F♯7

7 · 9 · 3 · 5 — the other half of the pair. A and B alternate through a ii–V–I so the hand barely moves.

Drop 2 Two hands

D5G1B3F♯7

5 · 1 · 3 · 7 — close position with the second voice from the top dropped an octave: wider, warmer, the standard for chord melody.

Gmaj7 inversions

The same 4 notes with a different one in the bass. Each inversion is written as a slash chord.

Root position Gmaj7

G1B3D5F♯7

Root at the bottom, stacked in 3rds: 1 · 3 · 5 · 7.

1st inversion Gmaj7/B

B3D5G1F♯7

B (the 3) in the bass: 3 · 5 · 7 · 1.

2nd inversion Gmaj7/D

D5G1B3F♯7

D (the 5) in the bass: 5 · 7 · 1 · 3.

3rd inversion Gmaj7/F♯

G1B3D5F♯7

F♯ (the 7) in the bass: 7 · 1 · 3 · 5.

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