more theory questions

[william cummings]

ive never been taught theory and im really studying hard but every now and then come up against confusion, is this right

7th chord is a major chord with an added flattened seventh,
Major 7th is the 7th note of major scale added to the chord
Minor 7th is flattened 3rd and 7th note added to the chord

[julzius]

all over it. An easier way to write it is like this (I just use X to substitute the chord name)
X7= 1-3-5-b7
XM7= 1-3-5-7
Xm7=1-b3-5-b7

I used to think that an A7 = AM7, then when i understood my scales and how to build chords, and found that major 7, I think i cried a little by how good that chord sounds and how long i went without it.

[william cummings]

cheers man, ive been playing for years and never really learned any theory just played, now i really wanna learn theory, im just using the internet but sometimes the information can be different from site to site, any good sites?

[julzius]

Yeah i did the same thing, you'll cotton on pretty quick.

Most of my learning was through guitar pro's scales feature. I just loaded up a scale, built a chord (make notes on the intervals of your notes from the root) and tried to guess the chord name before i go to the chord chart.

Another good thing to do is to get you're guitar, build a chord one note at a time (without any scale in mind), and explore unusual fingerings and tonalities, then try to figure out the chord name, write it into guitar pro, hit the chord creator and see what it says.

Also, a chord can have many different names based on what the context is (the root is not always the lowest note!).

Other than reverse engineering it like that, just try and get as much information from the internet from as many different sites as possible. Knowing your scales and modes helps a lot in chord building and understanding WHEN they should be minors, majors, 7s, M7s, m7s, etc.

I hope that helps you in some kind of way, toodles, Julz.

[Marine Boy]

Regarding theory. I have played classical piano since the age of 6. Formal tuition + all the exams + a successful in an amateur scene since then. On the other side I am a dyed in the wool rocker who has taught himself rock guitar since the age of about 14yrs (I'm 44 now). All my scales, shapes chords and licks I see in my mind's eye on an ebony and ivory keyboard. As a result of this background I have a visible frame I can pin anything onto. Your original post regarding A7 and Am7 I see as a hand spread across the octave of a keyboard and can name all the intervals and notes and inversions just by envisaging that hand spread across the octave. It may seem weird to you but it's totally natural for me - I know no better you could say.
That's what being drilled in theory has done for me. Hated it at the time, tolerated it as a teenager, can see the benefit now!!