Major Seventh Arpeggios (Maj7) | Guitar Diagrams, CAGED Method, Theory and Licks

How Are Built Maj7 arpeggios?

Major 7 arpeggios are made of root (1), major third (3), perfect fifth (5) and major seventh (7). These four tones are from the major scale as shown in the chart below. They are basically used over Major 7 chords.

How To Play Maj7 Arpeggios On Guitar?

Here are two basic shapes to play major 7 arpeggios on guitar. The first diagram have roots on the sixth, fourth and first string. The second have roots on the fifth, third and first string. Be sure to play these shapes in twelve keys.

Major 7 Guitar Arpeggios - CAGED Charts

The charts below show how to play major 7 arpeggios all over the entire fretboard by using the CAGED method. The first diagram cover the whole guitar neck, the root notes are represented in orange (R).

What's CAGED? 

The five other shapes below are the arpeggio forms built using the CAGED system. CAGED is a very popular method used by many teachers and students based on the basic chord shapes that are : C for C major, A for A major, G for G major, E for E major and D for D major. The brown dotted notes represent the E shape. The blues notes are the C shape. The pink notes, the D shape. The red notes, the A Shape and  the green notes are the G shape.

Major Seventh Arpeggios and  Related Scales

The five guitar diagrams below show the scales that contains a major 7 arpeggio. These scales are named Ionian, Lydian, Lydian #2 and Ionian b6.

The four exercises below show how to connect major 7 arpeggios and drop 3 major 7 chords.

Here is an easy jazz guitar line using a CM7 arpeggio over CM7.

Guitar arpeggios | II-V-I sequence

We can see in this basic II-V-I jazz line how to make connections between different types of arpeggios.

• Ascending D minor 7th arpeggio (two octaves) over the Dm7 chord.
• Descending G dominant 7th arpeggio starting on the major third (B) over G7.
• Ascending C major 7th arpeggio (two octaves)  over the CM7 chord.

• 

  40 Minor II V I Licks

  This guitar method is a printable PDF with tabs, diagrams, theory and audio files providing 40 minor II V I jazz licks.
• 

  40 II V I Jazz Guitar Licks

  This pdf method for guitar contains 40 II V I jazz guitar lines with tab, standard notation, analysis, scale charts and audio files.
• 

  50 II-V-I voicings

  This guitar method is a printable PDF eBook contains 50 exercises with audio files, analysis, tab & standard notation on how to play over II-V-I chord progressions using different kind of voicings.
• 

  II V I Bundle

  This package contains 3 PDF methods for jazz guitarists with tabs, audio files, analysis about the II V I progression.
• 

  40 Mixolydian Jazz Guitar Lick

  This package contains a guitar method available as a PDF with tabs, audio files and theory providing 40 dominant jazz guitar lines for teachers and students.
• 

  40 Minor Jazz Guitar Licks

  This printable guitar method in PDF format contains 40 easy minor jazz guitar lines based on the Dorian mode.
• 

  40 Major Jazz Guitar Licks

  Printable PDF eBook method containing 40 major jazz guitar licks with tab, standard notation and audio files for beginners and intermediates.
• 

  Diatonic Licks Bundle

  This package contains 120 jazz guitar lines based on diatonic modes as Mixolydian, Dorian and Ionian. PDF format with tabs, audio files and analysis.
• 

  Guitar Walking Bass Lines NEW

  This jazz guitar method about walking bass lines and chords is available as a PDF files containing 35 exercises with tabs, analysis and audio files
• 

  101 Dominant Arpeggio Patterns

  This printable PDF method provides 101 dominant arpeggio exercises with tab, theory and standard notation for the jazz, blues and rock guitarist.
• 

  49 Essential Jazz Lines

  This printable eBook method in PDF format provides 49 jazz solo transcriptions of the greatest jazz musicians of all times with TABS, standard notation, audio files and analysis both for guitar teachers and students.
• 

  11 Jazz Blues Studies

  This PDF method contains 11 guitar lessons with chord studies, tabs, standard notation, analysis & audio files about the main blues progressions used in jazz music.
• 

  25 Altered Jazz Guitar Lines

  This PDF eBook method contains 25 altered jazz guitar licks with tabs, patterns, scale charts and audio files to master, apply and develop the altered scale.
• 

  40 Blues Dominant patterns

  This printable method is available as a PDF file containing 40 easy dominant jazz-blues guitar lines with tabs, standard notation, analysis, audio files and scale charts.
• 

  Mastering Pentatonic Scales

  This jazz guitar method is an eBook available as a PDF with standard notation, guitar tabs, diagrams, analysis, audio files and backing tracks. You will find in this booklet 25 easy jazz guitar lines with theory using common and rare pentatonic scales.
• 

  25 Soul Jazz Guitar Licks

  You will find here an eBook available in PDF containing 25 soul jazz and hard bop guitar licks in the style of Grant Green, Melvin Sparks, George Benson. These jazz lines come with tabs, standard notation, guitar neck diagrams, backing track for practice and 25 audio files for each riff.
• 

  25 Diminished Patterns

  This eBook PDF with audio files contains 25 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns using the half-whole diminished scale and diminished 7th arpeggios.
• 

  6 Tritone substitution licks

  This Printable PDF eBook available for free download contains 6 easy jazz guitar licks with tabs/notation, youtube video link and analysis about the tritone substitution.