Chord Shapes

Major 7th Flat 5

Intervals: 1-3-b5-7. An uncommon but striking major-family sonority, closely associated with the 3rd mode of melodic minor (Lydian b5). The flattened 5th gives the chord a slightly hollow, otherworldly tone while the major 7th maintains a smooth, “major” backdrop. It typically functions as a tonic or subdominant colour in highly modal or chromatic contexts, or as a pivot chord in film and contemporary jazz harmony. Because it does not belong to the ordinary major scale, it is best treated as a deliberate colour chord rather than a default voicing of I or IV.