Okay...my man and I just bought guitars. I found this chord I really like: A major 7th. But it sounds like it's leading to something -- you know, like some sort of resolution should be played right after it. WHAT IS THAT RESOLUTION? Help! (I need some music theory to go with my very sore fingers).

p.s. just for curiosity sake - I bought an acoustic; he bought electric. Neither of us play a lick, so it's been fun getting started together.

Also, what's with guitar music free online? I printed out "Knockin on Heaven's Door" and as a singer, I can guarantee those aren't the chords that he's singing in front of. Is it some kind of cruel joke?

seventh chords always resolve to the tonic. they have the leading tone (the 7th note of the scale) and it always feels like it has to 'finish'.

In other words, you need an E major chord after that A major 7th.

Pauliina
doing a fly-by from up north! (visiting Finland just for a weekend)

oops. i thought she meant 'a major 7th chord' in general, not "A" major.

Thank you! I'm so green, I don't know much...but every time I practice that chord I like so well, I feel, well, unsatisfied. So thanks a ton!

Ow...my fingers hurt!

Soon you will get lovely calluses! When I was first learning the guitar, I ALWAYS played the same three songs over and over and over because they were my favourite to learn: One by U2, Everybody Hurts by REM and High and Dry by Radiohead. So much fun! Have a blast.

An A major 7th chord (A, C,# E, G-natural) would resolve to either a D Major chord (D, F#, A) or d minor (D, F-natural, A).

A 7th chord means a triad with the seventh added. A chord based on the 5th note of the scale is called a "dominant chord," and that is the chord that usually resolves to the tonic. A typical progression in both classical and jazz is I-IV-V-I (I=tonic, IV=sub-dominant, V= dominant).

The chords that would resolve to E major would either be B7, or D# diminished 7.