The Major 7th Chord

The major 7th chord is often described as sounding "pretty" and also "jazzy." The slight dissonance in this chord is pleasing to most ears. The major seventh chord is a major triad with a fourth note added major third above the fifth of the chord. The term "major" in the name "major seventh" does not refer to fact that it is based on a major triad, though. The word refers to the interval from the root to the 7th, which is a "major seventh," which is 11 half steps.

Try playing Cmaj7 (C,E,G,B) then Fmaj7 (F,A,C,E) to hear a common way this chord is used.