The minor-major7 chord combines a minor triad with a major seventh: 1-♭3-5-7. This creates one of the most characteristic bittersweet sonorities in tonal music: the minor third anchors darkness while the major seventh adds luminous upward pull. It is a defining tonic color of melodic minor and a core sound in jazz and film harmony.
Construction
Formula: 1-♭3-5-7. In CmM7, a standard spelling is C-E♭-G-B. In practice, the fifth is sometimes omitted for transparency, but ♭3 and 7 must remain clear for identity.
Sound Character
The chord sounds intense, elegant, and unresolved. Compared with m7, it is brighter and more "lifted"; compared with maj7, it keeps unmistakable minor gravity.
Usage
Common as i△7 in melodic-minor contexts, in jazz ballads, modern neo-soul writing, and cinematic cues where the harmony should feel emotionally complex rather than purely dark or bright.
Examples
- Tonic i△7 in melodic-minor progressions
- Film scoring for "haunted beauty" and controlled tension
- Reharmonized pop/jazz endings that avoid plain m7 closure
Play
Prioritize ♭3 and 7, keep the major seventh audible in an upper voice, and avoid muddy close spacing in the low register. Rootless voicings can work well if bass context is clear.
Harmonic behavior
Minor-major7 can function as a stable tonic color in melodic minor, but it always carries internal tension. Stepwise motion from 7 to 1 (or from 5 to ♯5/6 in surrounding lines) gives expressive release.
Ear-training cues
Listen for a minor core with a major-seventh glow above it. Alternating m7 and mM7 quickly reveals the distinctive bittersweet lift.
