Minor Major Seventh (minMaj7) Guitar Arpeggios

What's a minor / major 7 Arpeggio?

Minor Major seventh arpeggios (minMaj7) are built with root (1), minor third (b3), perfect fifth (5) and major seventh (7). They have a particular sound because of the b3 and the natural 7. Theoretically, they are played over MinMaj7 chords and most of the time related to the tonic minor chord of the melodic minor scale. However, there are different uses as shown in the bottom of this lesson.

Formula Chart

Min/maj7 arpeggios contain the same notes as minMaj7 chords. It means that they can be associated with the I chord of the melodic minor scale. They can also be associated with the I chord of the harmonic minor scale and with the IV chord of the harmonic major scale.

Dmin/Maj7 arpeggio D F A C#
Dmin/Maj7 chord D F A C#
Formula 1 b3 5 7

How To Play Minor/Major Arpeggios on Guitar?

These four diagrams show how to play a minMaj7 arpeggio on guitar within the space of one octave.

 

Minmajor 7 guitar arpeggios one octave

Two Octave Shapes

The following guitar shapes show the notes of a MinMaj7 arpeggio within two octaves. You can paly these shapes anywhere on the guitar neck. The tonic (1) gives the name of the arpeggio.

Minor major 7 guitar arpeggios two octave

Differences Between Arpeggios

Here is a comparative chart for a better understanding of the various arpeggio formulas.

MinMajor 7 arpeggio 1 b3 5 7
Major 7 arpeggio 1 3 5 7
Minor 7 arpeggio 1 b3 5 b7
Dominant 7 arpeggio 1 b3 5 7
Half-diminished arpeggio 1 b3 b5 b7
Diminished 7 arpeggio 1 b3 b bb7

Basic Application of minMaj7 Arpeggios

The basic use of minor major 7 arpeggios is to play them on minMaj7 chords. Example with a minor II V I sequence in Cm. You see a CmMaj7 arpeggio applied to a CminMaj7 chord.

Locrian #2 mode

Let's take the same minor II-V-I sequence. Considering that Dm7b5 is the VI chord of F melodic minor so you can play the corresponding minMaj7 arpeggio that is FminMaj7 (F-Ab-C-E) over Dm7b5. This arpeggio is related to the Locrian # 2 mode, sixth mode of the melodic minor scale that contains a natural ninth (9). So, playing a FmMaj7 arpeggio on Dm7b5 highlights its 9.

How to Build An Altered Line With a minMaj7 Arpeggio?

Another example on how to use a minMaj7 arpeggio is to start on the b7 of a dominant chord in order to create a little bit of tension and add interest to your line. As you see in the lick below, FminMaj7 starts on F, which is the b7 of G7. This way b7, b9, 11 and 13 are highlighted. 

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Last edited: 2024-02-23

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