How do you fake 7th chords on a 12 bass?

[ironbiscuit]

I know the technique for faking minor chords using the relative minors of a major chord, but is there a way to fake 7th chords on a 12 bass?

 

[JeffJetton]

No, there's not a way to fake a dominant 7th chord using just the left hand.

A 7th chord is just a regular major triad (3-note chord) with an extra, fourth note tacked on. Trying to add that note by pressing an additional bass note won't sound right though (try it and hear for yourself). So that leaves you with two main options for dominant 7ths:

• Include the note in your right hand somehow. As a harmony to the melody, for example. Or sometimes that note is already in the melody itself, in which case you're all set. (Just because the left hand can play chords, that doesn't mean that chords can only be played in the left hand. Both hands "add up" to the total harmony in the song.)
• Ignore it and just play it as a major triad. Nothing wrong with that. You'll still get 75% of the notes in the chord, and it won't sound "wrong". It's like leaving the cheese off a cheeseburger. It might not be a cheeseburger anymore, but it's still a burger!

 

[Rosie C]

A 7th chord is just a regular major triad (3-note chord) with an extra, fourth note tacked on. Trying to add that note by pressing an additional bass note won't sound right though (try it and hear for yourself).

Thanks for clarifying that @JeffJetton, I shall go and try on accordion now! (my previous post deleted to avoid confusion)

 

[murathan]

Thanks for clarifying that @JeffJetton, I shall go and try on accordion now! (my previous post deleted to avoid confusion)

Sevenths are the extension of major V. It has 4 notes. You can play that fourth from the treble side. Thats probably only reasonable solution for sevenths.