D7 and Am7 and CMaj7

[ainmpiano]

I am learing a tune that has a number of these chords:

D7
D F# A C

and Am7
A C E G

and CMaj7
C E G B

I can see on the web what the fingering is for these.

However, someone who sometimes advises me tells that you can routinely drop the 5th note.

But I do not see that advice anywhere else.

Is that good advice?

Thanks.

Mac

[gore234]

It depends on the voicing and the inversion of the chord you want.

Sometimes I omit the 3rd or the 5th note depending on the genre that you are playing in or preference.

playing a seventh chord with the octave requires a stretch and all five fingers. I see some people use the thumb to play 2 notes sometimes but I don't usually do that.

Guitar players who play extended chords such as 9ths and 13ths can choose to omit any notes they want to including the root note since they only have 6 strings.  They can only play 6 notes at once but a piano player can play 10 notes or they can do tone cluster with their whole arm lol.

[ainmpiano]

Thanks for the comment.

I appreciate it.

Mac

[japzz]

maybe a small remark and correct me if I'm wrong.

The main reason-according to me- why the 5th is left out is that it doesn't really contribute to the colour of the chord.
The 1st is the tonic so if you drop the tonic and there is no bass player who plays the tonic,the chord will definitely not sound as it's name implies i.e.
Cmaj7 chord = C-E-G-B without tonic = E-G-B will sound like Eminor chord,in fact IS the Eminor chord
The 3rd makes the chord minor or major depending on wether it's a major or minor 3rd.The 7th creates some tension and also has a very big influence of how the chord sounds.Just play Cmaj7 chord and C7 chord after another and hear the difference in flavour.
The 5th on the other hand doesn't do anything on the level of colouration,only comfirms the tonic.
There's a lot more to say about this subject like "the context where you would drop(or not) the 5th,playing alone or in a band,musical effect you want to achieve etc....
Try it out,experiment ,use your ears,have fun and inspiration.