Seventh chord

Contents 1 Definition of seventh chord 2 Basic notation 3 Types of seventh chords 4 Symbols for seventh chords 5 Inversions of seventh chords 6 Use of seventh chords 7 See also

Definition of seventh chord

A seventh chord is a special type of chord which consists of 4 different tones, in consecutive thirds.

The seventh chord thus consists of a minimum of six intervals: 3 thirds, 2 fifths and 1 seventh, or their respective inversions.

A seventh chord can be regarded as en expanded triad; each seventh chord itself consists of 2 triads.

Basic notation

The basic notation of a seventh chord, is by virtually taking tones 1, 3, 5 and 7 of a scale and writing them together, sounding as one.

The example below uses the basic tones only and can be clicked for playback.

Types of seventh chords

Consisting of 3 thirds, 2 fifths and 1 seventh, the thirds can be major, minor or diminished, fifths can be perfect, diminished or augmented, the sevenths can be major, minor or diminished, there are 10 types of seventh chords.

• Major seventh: consisting of a major third, a minor third, a major third, two perfect fifths and a major seventh
• Dominant seventh: consisting of a major third, a minor third, a minor third, one perfect fifth, one diminished fifth and a minor seventh
• Minor seventh: consisting of a minor third, a major third, a minor third, two perfect fifths and a minor seventh
• Minor major seventh: consisting of a minor third, a major third, a major third, one perfect fifth, one augmented fifth and a major seventh
• Half diminished: consisting of two minor thirds, a major third, one diminished fifth, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh
• Diminished seventh: consisting of three minor thirds, two diminished fifth and a diminished seventh
• Augmented seventh: consisting of two major thirds, a minor third, an augmented fifth, a perfect fifth and a major seventh
• Augmented dominant: consisting of two major thirds, a diminished third, an augmented fifth, a diminished fifth and a minor seventh
• Flat 5 dominant: consisting of a major third, a diminished third, a major third, two diminished fifths and a minor seventh
• Double diminished seventh: consisting of a diminished third, a major third, a minor third, a diminished fifth, a perfect fifth and a diminished seventh

These seventh chords can occur on any tone, the examples below are the 10 seventh chords of c (alterations are needed to obtain the correct tones):

Symbols for seventh chords

For most music in which improvising plays an important role, symbols are used for seventh chords.

There is no unity in the systems used for these symbols, as different symbols occur in different books.

Below is a table summarizing the most commonly used chord-symbols for seventh chords:

Seventh chord		Symbols
Major seventh	maj7	M7	Δ7
Dominant seventh	Dom7	7
Minor major seventh	minmaj7	mM7	-Δ7
Minor seventh	min7	m7	-7
Half diminished	min7♭5	m7♭5	ø
Diminished seventh	dim7	d7	°7
Augmented seventh	maj7#5	M7#5	Δ7+5
Augmented dominant	7#5	7+5	+7
Flat 5 dominant		7♭5	7-5
Double diminished seventh		(no symbol)

Inversions of seventh chords

A seventh chord is still considered to be the same seventh chord when the 4 tones it consists of are presented in another position than the basic 1-3-5-7 described so far. There are four basic positions for a seventh chord:

1. The 1 is the lowest tone, this is called root position, short: root
2. The 3 is the lowest tone, this is called first inversion or six-five position, short: 6-5
3. The 5 is the lowest tone, this is called second inversion or four-three position, short: 4-3
4. The 7 is the lowest tone. this is called third inversion or second position, short: 2

The acoustic properties are different, yet these positions can be perceived as derived from one basic structure: the seventh chord.

The examples below are basic positions of seventh chords of c and on c:

The names of the inversions are derived from the intervallic structure: the inversions of the thirds become sixths (major, minor or augmented), the inversions of the fifths become fourths (perfect, augmented or diminished) and the inversions of the sevenths become seconds (major, minor or augmented).

Use of seventh chords

Any scale or mode can be harmonized by forming seventh chords on its steps. These seventh chords are then called degrees.

The harmony thus obtained is proper to that particular scale itself and can be modal or tonal, depending on its use.

See also

• Outline of basic music theory
• Triad
• Interval
• Special:Browse/Seventh chord - browse this page to find more whiteboards treating seventh chords.