Learning mandolin chord shapes can seem tricky but an easy start is to focus on some of the basic chord shapes. In this series, I’m going to cover various chord shapes of a particular type.
In today’s review, we’ll look at the Minor 7th chord.
What is a Minor 7 chord?
A minor 7 chord simply 1 b3 5 and b7. The dominant b7 is what gives this chord a kick. You may hear this chord referred to as a “Minor Dominant 7th” as well.
3 note vs 4 note chords
In my diagrams I’ll mostly display 4 note chords, though I will chose the 3 note option in some cases. There are those that argue you only need to learn the 3 note chords. While you can certainly play just 3 note chords and be great, learning the 4 note variations gives you more bang for your buck. Playing the 4 note variation, you can chose anyone of those notes to drop to get a 3 note variation – giving you a lot more options with less to memorize.
What’s the “starting fret”?
The shapes here are general moveable patterns – meaning there’s no specific starting fret. Simply find the root note on the fretboard and that will tell you what fret you should start on etc. Using a fretboard roadmap like this can help.
Shape names
I don’t know of any official naming of these shapes (aside from the “Big Chop”). I do however make up my own names. Since I write the posts, you’ll have to deal with my silly names. Let me know if you have a better name :). If you don’t like the name, don’t use it.
Root on the G – Shape 1 – The Outside min7 or S Shape
This is a good easy shape to remember. The Root is on the G string and really just requires two fingers.
Generally fingers are:
G String – First
D String – First
A String – Middle (or Ring)
E String – Middle (or Ring)
Root on the G – Shape 2 -Wide Triangle
This is a pretty odd chord – but it works pretty nice in a lot of cases once you get used to it. I use the 3 note variation using the G D and A strings a lot more than the full 4 note chord mostly for the sake of ease.
Another cool thing about the 3 note variation is using it for ii7 V7 changes. Basically, start with the root on the on the 2nd fret of the G string and you’ll have Am7. Then move the b7th from the 5th fret to the 4th and you’ll have D7. This would be a ii7 V7 in the key of G.
Generally fingers are:
G String – Middle
D String – Pinky
A String – Ring
E String – First
Root on the G – Shape 3 -Candy Cane
This is a great chord shape to use for descending bass lines. Moving the Root on the G string down 1/2 step will give you a dom7, etc.
Generally fingers are:
G String – Ring
D String – First
A String – First
E String – Middle
Root on the D – Shape 1 -The Rhombus
The full 4 note chord can be challenging at first, but worth using. You can use the 3 note variation with the D A and E strings similar to the Wide Triangle (or Root on G Shape 1) and has the same easy move for ii7 V7 changes.
Generally fingers are:
G String – Ring
D String – First
A String – Pinky
E String – Middle
Root on the D – Shape 2 – Minor 7th Line
This is one shape where I wouldn’t recommend worrying about the full 4 note chord as it’s just not practical in any way – at least in my opinion.
This shape can be really useful when moving between m7 and m7b5 a 3rd above. If you lower the b7th 1 fret, the resulting chord would be a m7b5 with the root on the G string.
Generally fingers are:
G String – First
D String – Middle
A String – Pinky
E String – N/A
Root on A – Shape 1 – Minor 7th Ball Cap
This chord shape looks like a weird baseball cap to me. I don’t get it either but, since I’m writing this, I get to make up the names!
I I play the full 4 note chord as well as both the 3 note variation using the G D and A strings or the D A and E strings a lot. This can be a really useful shape for things like IV iv (like C7 to Cm7) .
Generally fingers are:
G String – Middle
D String – First
A String – Ring
E String – Ring
Root on A – Shape 2 – The Bird or Plane
While the full 4 note chord can be challenging to get down, it’s worth trying as it’s got it’s place. That said, the 3 note variation using the D A and E strings can be pretty handy.
Generally fingers are:
G String – Pinky
D String – Middle
A String – First
E String – Ring
Root on E – Shape 1 – Backwards Minor 7th Ball Cap
This is really similar to the previous shape just shifted back so the root is on the E string. This shape is lacking the 5th, which can be annoying in some cases but is not usually a critical note for a minor 7th. The 3 note variation using D A and E strings is pretty common.
Generally fingers are:
G String – Middle
D String – First
A String – Ring
E String – Ring
Root on E – Shape 2 – Minor 7th Ice Cream Cone
Come on – it looks like an ice cream cone!!
This is a really great shape to get down as it’s really flexible when adding extensions or altered notes. You could play the 3 note variation on the D A and E strings, however since that would exclude the b3rd, it’s not really a “minor” anymore. It can work that way provided someone is playing the b3rd.
Generally fingers are:
G String – First
D String – First
A String – Ring
E String – Middle (or First if you want to bar it)
Wrapping Up
These shapes are a great easy way to start getting comfortable with chords. Aside from just memorizing the shapes, I strongly recommend you memorize the note function of each chord (i.e. where is the b3rd and b7th in the chord etc), the name of the note on each string, and how to spell chords. Longer term, this will pay off significantly.
A good way to learn these chords is through playing tunes. Just pick any song you like and try using these chords when appropriate. Use the chord diagrams above to create at least 2 variations of the progression – meaning you’ll use different voicings of each chord for each variation. Start with something simple like a I IV V song before moving to more complex tunes.
I hope this review helps! And remember – this is just the beginning, there’s so many other variations out there! Next we’ll be diving in to 9th chords.
If you’d like to take a deeper dive into chord shapes look click here for more information on private coaching. If you like this free content and would like more of it, considering donating to my site here – donations really help keep things going!
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