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BbMaj7
Description
The major chord might sound boring, made up of the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the major scale. However, any good soloist or chord player will add various extra notes to spice up the sound, playing a major 7th, major 9th, major 6th or major 6/9 chord instead.
Standard scale choice
Just the major scale: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 although the fourth degree is what Americans call an 'avoid note' -- one that you can't stay on for too long without resolving it up or down to a nicer-sounding note in the scale.
Hip options
- Country players often use a 'hexatonic scale', which is basically the major scale with the 4th missed out: 1 2 3 5 6 7
- Also the less intelligent rock guitar players (think Oasis) will use a major pentatonic: 1 2 3 5 6
- If you're feeling truly hip you could try playing the major pentatonic built on the 5th degree of the scale
- Another alternative is to take any of the options for playing over a Maj7#11 chord -- they will all work here as well!
- Jazz players will often use a b6 over a major chord, either as a replacement for the natural 6th, to give a 'harmonic major' scale: 1 2 3 4 5 b6 7 or as a passing note between the 5th and 6th to give an octatonic (8-note) 'bebop scale'.
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