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Seventh chord
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
vi7,
ii7 (Minor),
IM7, or
vii7 (Half-diminished),
iii7.
Contents
1 Classification of seventh chords
1.1 Tertian
1.2 Non-tertian
2 Types of seventh chords
2.1 Dominant seventh chord
2.2 Harmonic seventh chord
2.3 Major and minor seventh chords
2.4 Half-diminished seventh chord
2.5 Diminished seventh chord
3 Inversions
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Tertian
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The most common chords are tertian, constructed using a sequence of major thirds (spanning 4 semitones) and/or minor
thirds (3 semitones). Since there are 3 third intervals in a seventh chord (4 notes) and each can be major or minor, there are
8 possible combinations, however, only seven of them are commonly found in western music. The augmented augmented
seventh chord, defined by a root, a major third, an augmented fifth, and an augmented seventh (i.e., a sequence of 3 major
thirds), is a rarely used tertian seventh chord. The reason is that the augmented seventh interval is enharmonically
equivalent to one entire octave (in equal temperament, 3 major thirds = 12 semitones = 1 octave) and is hence perfectly
consonant with the chord root. The seven commonly used chords are listed in the table below:
Seventh chords used in Western music
Common name
Chord on C
Major seventh
Common
symbols
on C
Quality of consecutive
thirds
Third
Fifth
Seventh
1st
2nd
3rd
Cmaj7
CM7
C
major
perfect
major
major minor
major
Cmin7
Cm7
C-7
minor
perfect
minor
minor major
minor
C7
major
perfect
minor
play
Minor seventh
play
Dominant seventh
play
C7
Cdim7
Diminished seventh
play
Cm7
Half-diminished
seventh
play
play
C-7 (5)
C
Cmmaj7
CmM7
Cm7
minor diminished
minor
minor minor
major
minor
major
minor major
major
perfect
C-7
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Cmaj7 (5)
C+M7
Augmented major
seventh
play
major augmented
major
major
major
minor
C+7
Non-tertian
Seventh chords can also be constructed using augmented or diminished thirds. These chords are not tertian and can be used
in non-tertian harmony. There are many (mathematically - 64) chords that can be built, however, only few of them are used
and are listed in the table below:
Common name
Augmented
seventh
(formally
augmented/minor
seventh)
aug7
+7
major augmented
minor
major
major
diminished
(equiv.
major
second)
minor
augmented
(equiv.
perfect
fourth)
play
Diminished
major seventh
mM75
minor diminished
-75
major
minor
play
Dominant
seventh flat five
75
major diminished
major
play
In tuning systems other than equal temperament there are further possible seventh chords. In just intonation, for example,
there is the harmonic seventh.
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Of all the seventh chords, perhaps the most important is the dominant seventh. It was the first seventh chord to appear
regularly in classical music. The name comes from the fact that the flat seventh occurs naturally in the chord built upon the
dominant (i.e. the fifth degree) of a given major diatonic scale. Take for example the C major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C):
The note G is the dominant degree of C major - its fifth note. When we arrange the
notes of the C major scale in ascending pitch and use only these notes to build a
seventh chord, and we start with G (not C), then the resulting chord contains the
four notes G-B-D-F and is called G dominant seventh (G7). The note F is a minor
seventh from G, and is also called the dominant seventh with respect to G. However,
the 'dominant' seventh is used on notes other than the dominant, such as the subdominant.
The harmonic seventh interval is a minor seventh tuned in the 7:4 pitch ratio, one of
the possible "just ratios" defined for this interval in just intonation (slightly below
the width of a minor seventh as tuned in equal temperament). Sometimes called a
"blue note", the harmonic seventh is used by singers, through note bending on
guitars, and on other instruments not restricted to equal temperament. An often
heard example of the harmonic seventh chord is the last word of the modern
addition to the song "Happy Birthday to You", with the lyrics, "and many more!"
The harmony on the word "more" is typically sung as a harmonic seventh chord.[4]
Frequent use of the harmonic seventh chord is one of the defining characteristics of blues and barbershop harmony;
barbershoppers refer to it as "the barbershop seventh". Since barbershop music tends to be sung in just intonation, the
barbershop seventh chord may be accurately termed a harmonic seventh chord. The harmonic seventh chord is also widely
used in "blues flavored" music. As guitars, pianos, and other equal-temperament instruments cannot play this chord, it is
frequently approximated by a dominant seventh. As a result it is often called a dominant seventh chord and written with the
same symbols (such as the blues progression I7 - V7 - IV7).
Major seventh chords are usually constructed on the first or fourth degree of a scale, (in C or G major: C-E-G-B). Due to
the major seventh interval between the root and seventh (C-B, an inverted minor second), this chord can sometimes sound
dissonant, depending on the voicing used. For example, Bacharach and David's Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head opens
with a major chord followed by a major seventh in the next measure.
The major seventh is sometimes notated as 7 (a delta chord) or just a (which has the same meaning).
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A half-diminished seventh chord is a seventh chord built from the seventh degree of a major scale. It's considered "halfdiminished" because a fully diminished seventh has a double-flatted seventh,
making it enharmonically the same as a major sixth. The half-diminished seventh
chord uses a minor seventh over the root of a diminished triad.
Example: (in the key of C major) b-d-f-a.
All of the elements of the Diminished 7th chord can be found in the Dominant 7th
(b9) chord as seen in a comparison of the two chords.
Inversions
There are four different inversions. Seventh chord inversions are as
follows:
GBDF
BDFG
DFGB
2 FGBD
See also
Dominant seventh flat five chord
Diminished major seventh chord
Augmented seventh chord
Augmented major seventh chord
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
Kostka & Payne (1995). Tonal Harmony, p.225. Third Edition. ISBN 0-07-300056-6.
Benward & Saker (2003). Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. I, p.77. Seventh Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0.
Benward & Saker (2003), p.199.
Mathieu, W.A. Harmonic Experience. Inner Traditions International; Rochester, Vermont; 1997. ISBN 0-89281-560-4, pg. 126
External links
Tim Smith's 7th chord identification (http://www2.nau.edu/tas3/harm2/7ths/7ths.html) and construction
(http://www2.nau.edu/tas3/harm2/7ths/7thsb.html) drills in Javascript
fretjam Guitar Theory - 7th Chords on Guitar (http://www.fretjam.com/guitar-chord-theory-3.html)
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Categories: Seventh chords
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