Accompaniment Playing

Study 5 - 7th Chords

BluesHarmonica.com Support Material
Written by David Barrett

(All Examples Played in 2nd Position)

Section 1 – Building 7th Chords (4 Notes in 3rds)

Ex. 1.1 – All 8 Notes of the G Major Scale (C Harmonica in 2nd Position = Key of G)

Ex. 1.2 – Numbering the Scale (Scale Degrees)

Ex. 1.3 – Building the I7 Chord (“One-Seven” Chord)

Ex. 1.4 – Building the IV7 Chord (“Four-Seven” Chord)

Ex. 1.5 – Building the V7 Chord (“Five-Seven” Chord)

© 2012 David Barrett & The Harmonica Masterclass Co. for BluesHarmonica.com, All Rights Reserved

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Ex. 1.6 – 7th Chords in Graph Form
♭Chord♭ ♭Root♭ ♭3rd♭ ♭5th♭ ♭7th♭
I7♭(G7) ♭G♭ ♭B♭ ♭D♭ ♭F♭
IV7♭(C7) ♭C♭ ♭E♭ ♭G♭ ♭B♭
V7♭(D7) ♭D♭ ♭F♯ ♭A♭ ♭C♭

Ex. 1.7 – Notes of the C Major Harmonica with Bends

Section 2 – Applying 7th Chords to the 12 Bar Blues

Ex. 2.1 – Using the information above, fill in the chart below with each note option for the given chord and
hole. Hole 2 has been completed for you. On hole 2 of the harmonica the notes are G (2 draw), G♭ (2
draw half step bend), F (2 draw whole step bend) and E (2 blow).

7 7
The I Chord is G B D F. 2 draw is G, the Root of the I Chord, and 2 draw whole step bend is F, the ♭7th
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of the I Chord. I placed “G” and “F” in the I Chord column. F, being the bluesy/dissonant ♭7th of the
chord has been colored red. Keep in mind that how well that note matches depends on what the other
musicians are playing in their chord voicings. If a ♭7th is present in what they’re playing, then your ♭7th will
sound good. If there isn’t a ♭7th present, then your ♭7th will stand out as being more dissonant, which may
be okay as long as a musician in the band is not playing a 6th (which is a half step away from your ♭7th)
around the same time. In a nutshell, the ♭7th will not always work.

7 7 7
The IV Chord is C E G B♭. 2 blow is E, the 3rd of the IV Chord, and 2 draw is G, the 5th of the IV
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Chord. I placed “E” and “G” in the IV Chord column.

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The V Chord is D F♯ A C. 2 draw is F♯, the 3rd of the V Chord (the enharmonic of G♭ is F♯), so I placed
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“2’” in the V Chord column.

Complete the rest of the chart, making sure to double-check your work.

♭Hole =♭ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I7♭(G7) F G
IV7♭(C7) E G
V7♭(D7) F♯

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Ex. 2.2 – Playing Hole #1 in the 12 Bar Blues Jam: “I Want You With Me [Shuffle in E]”

Ex. 2.3 – Homework: Hole Changes = Staying on one hole and hitting all the chord changes
• Play Hole #1 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #2 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #3 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #4 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #5 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #6 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #7 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #8 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #9 in the 12 Bar Blues
• Play Hole #10 in the 12 Bar Blues
Jam: “I Want You With Me [Shuffle in E]”
♭Hole =♭ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I7♭(G7) D F G G B D F G B D F G B
IV7♭(C7) C E G G B♭ C E G C E G B♭ C
V7♭(D7) C D F♯ A C D - A C D F♯ A C

Ex. 2.4 – 6th Chords (Much Lighter Feel than 7th Chords)
♭Chord♭ ♭Root♭ ♭3rd♭ ♭5th♭ 6th♭
I7♭(G7) ♭G♭ ♭B♭ ♭D♭ ♭E♭
IV7♭(C7) ♭C♭ ♭E♭ ♭G♭ A
V7♭(D7) ♭D♭ ♭F♯ ♭A♭ ♭B♭

Ex. 2.5 – Homework: Play to “Blues Creepin' Over Me [Slow Blues with Breaks in E]” and Focus
on use of ♭7ths

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Section 3 – Arpeggios and the 12 Bar Blues (Bass Line)