A minor/major seventh chord is composed using a root/1st, minor 3rd, perfect 5th and major 7th (or R/1-♭3-5-7) intervals played simultaneously. Generally written as Cmi(MA7) or C-(MA7), it is good practice to simply use an uppercase C, the lowercase letters mi followed by super scripted uppercase (MA7) to represent it in writing (ie: Cmi(MA7)).
A minor/major seventh chord occurs naturally in a harmonized harmonic minor scale on the first scale degree (tonic), and although it does not occur naturally in a harmonized major scale, it does appear in a major scales parallel harmonic minor. Remember that interval formulas are always written relative to a major scale.
The tonality of a minor/major seventh chord is heavily dissonant and distinctly unresolved, as opposed to the stability of a major seventh chord.
Minor/major seventh chord profile
| Intervals | root/1st, minor 3rd, perfect 5th, major 7th or R/1-♭3-5-7 |
|---|---|
| Stability | Dissonant, unstable, unresolved |
| Grouping class | Tetrad |
| Common names (examples in C) | Cmi(MA7), C−(ma7) |
Chord shapes/voicings
Minor/major seventh chord table
| Chord name | Root | Minor third | Perfect fifth | Major seventh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmi(MA7) | C | E♭ | G | B |
| C♯mi(MA7) | C♯ | E | G♯ | B♯ (C) |
| D♭mi(MA7) | D♭ | F♭ (E) | A♭ | C |
| Dmi(MA7) | D | F | A | C♯ |
| D♯mi(MA7) | D♯ | F♯ | A♯ | C (D) |
| E♭mi(MA7) | E♭ | G♭ | B♭ | D |
| Emi(MA7) | E | G | B | D♯ |
| Fmi(MA7) | F | A♭ | C | E |
| F♯mi(MA7) | F♯ | A | C♯ | E♯ (F) |
| G♭mi(MA7) | G♭ | B (A) |
D♭ | F |
| Gmi(MA7) | G | B♭ | D | F♯ |
| G♯mi(MA7) | G♯ | B | D♯ | F (G) |
| A♭mi(MA7) | A♭ | C♭ (B) | E♭ | G |
| Ami(MA7) | A | C | E | G♯ |
| A♯mi(MA7) | A♯ | C♯ | E♯ (F) | G (A) |
| B♭mi(MA7) | B♭ | D♭ | F | A |
| Bmi(MA7) | B | D | F♯ | A♯ |
Audio sample(s)
| C Minor/major seventh chord voicing #2 |
|---|
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