Seventh chords add tension and color to any chord progression, easily identifiable by their combination of an underlying triad with an added seventh interval.
Each note in a seventh chord has an interval relationship to its root note, which ultimately determines its quality. There are six categories of seventh chords based on which triads they contain.
Major Seventh
Seventh chords are by definition dissonant and can add tension or emotion to a bassline. There are numerous varieties of seventh chords; major, minor and dominant are among them.
Locating the roots of a seventh chord on the staff is the first step to understanding its quality. Once identified, examine its key signature for any accidentals which apply to its triad or seventh interval; for example a C major seventh includes F# and G notes as part of its interval (see the note interval table above).
Next, count the half-tones (or semitones) between each root note and each note in the triad and seventh intervals – this gives an indication of the chord’s quality. Chords built using scale degrees 1, 2, 3 or 5 are major chords while those constructed on 6/8 scale degrees are minor; chords composed using scale degrees 11-16 rarely occur as their dissonant seventh would undermine tonic triad stability.
Minor Seventh
Minor seventh chords can add tension and enhance emotionality in songs, as well as being excellent choices to include when performing harmonic minor scales.
Just like its larger cousin, the minor seventh chord consists of two triads connected by a seventh interval. It can create a melancholic sound and works especially well in harmonic minor scales.
It has a distinctive sound and was made famous by Bernard Hermann in Psycho. Additionally, it’s frequently used in jazz music.
Like its major counterpart, minor seventh chords do not follow any set pattern when identified in open spacing. They can usually be recognized by writing min7 after their tonic note or using lowercase “m” with number 7. They consist of a diminished triad at their core with an optional minor seventh interval placed atop, often known as half diminished chords due to having minor third between fifth and seventh.
Dominant Seventh
Dominant seventh chords are an integral component of western harmony, featuring powerful sound and tension-creating qualities. A great place for new guitar students to start learning the instrument, they can often be found in songs such as Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze.
A dominant 7 chord comprises three notes – a major third, perfect fifth and minor seventh above its root – all combined into a chord that creates tension in music. Sometimes this seventh can even be flattened (such as with C7s and dominants), to add even greater tension to this harmonic progression.
To form a dominant seventh chord, one option is the “stacked thirds method”, in which major and minor triads are added together with an added seventh note on top. You could also count up 3 half steps from the top of an octave above root until finding Bb. To add an eighth note using anharmonic spelling (C7=C-E-G-Bb), all these methods produce similar results but will make reading chords simpler.
Secondary Dominant
Secondary dominants can be an invaluable resource for creating tension in chord progressions and modulations, or just adding interest and variety. When dealing with secondary dominant chords, remember that they should resolve just like any other V chord in diatonic harmony – by moving any leading tones upward to their target chord and shifting down any lower tritone by one step.
F7 chord is in Eb major key; however, its B is meant as an accompanying tone leading to C minor key. G chord which follows it serves as secondary dominant preparing for C major key.
Practice will make this easier; just ensure the chord enharmonically correct to meet its function; otherwise you could get unexpected results!
Seventh chords can add depth and variety to your songs. Additionally, they can create tension or release in progressions.
Seventh chords are triads with an additional note a seventh above their root note. Because of this dissonance, seventh chords produce richer and fuller harmonies than their triadic counterparts.
Major
Major chords are an integral component of Western music theory and many genres rely on their use. At first they may seem difficult to read; however, with practice they will soon become second nature and an invaluable skill that will enhance any style of playing.
Major seventh chords can be formed by adding a 7th note to the root of a major triad, for instance C major seventh would contain notes C, E, G and B.
These chords are usually represented with the major 7th symbol (Cmaj7); however, you might come across other notations such as “M7”, which may be confused for minor chords due to its capital letter M.
Minor
Seventh chords are an intriguing blend of major and minor scales that creates an impactful, tension-filled chord found often in jazz music. When played with bass or another dominant chord, seventh chords add a powerful rhythmic element that can enhance any performance and can even help develop songwriting capabilities.
There are different kinds of seventh chords, including:
Dominant
Dominant chords are an extension of seventh chords used extensively across many styles of music. You may hear this chord type used frequently in R&B, rock and jazz tracks.
These chords combine major and minor tones, which is ideal for creating movement within tonal music. Plus, they resolve back to the tonic in an effective fashion.
A dominant seventh chord can be identified with Roman numeral V representing its dominant scale degree and followed by 7 for its seventh chord status.
A dominant seventh chord comprises four notes from the major scale – G, B, D and F – all taken from its root position on the page. It can be played in its first, second or third inversions.
Half-diminished
A half-diminished chord is defined as an interval with a flattened minor 7th between its fifth and third notes, commonly found in classical music but less commonly heard in popular genres like pop.
Chords like these can be used at numerous points throughout a piece. They can add color or highlight certain parts of a song.
This chord, often known as a leading-tone diminished seventh, contains three strong tendency tones that lead to pitches of the tonic triad. The root (b66) resolves into a cadential 6/4 chord while its remaining tones step inward stepwise to 11 and 33 respectively.
These chords can add tension and intrigue while maintaining melodic integrity in an I – V – vi – IV progression.
Whole-diminished
When music calls for a diminished chord, it usually refers to a whole-diminished seventh chord with both its degree (dim7) and inversion symbols being indicated – although deg7 symbols tend to be used more commonly within jazz music theory and theory studies.
A diminished triad is composed of three notes stacked atop each other: a minor third, minor fifth, and minor seventh. Since it’s symmetrical chord structure allows any note to act as its root note for this diminished chord triad.
Half-diminished seventh chords can be created much like diminished triads. To form a C half-diminished seventh chord, start on C (the root note) and flatten it one half step, first to B and then D & F before continuing the process again to A.
Seventh chords can transform the feel and texture of piano music across virtually all genres, making them essential tools for expanding harmonic range.
Similar to triads, seventh chords consist of four notes (root, 3rd, 5th and 7th). Each tone conveys emotion and tells its own unique tale.
Major
Seventh chords provide another complex type of chord after triads and offer many opportunities for expression. Like triads, seventh chords contain four notes – root, third and fifth of the scale with an added note known as seventh interval – but these chords offer something extra: they add something special by way of seventh interval.
Seventh chords can have numerous characteristics that distinguish their unique sound from one another, making for a versatile instrument with unique qualities and characteristics. Let’s examine one such chord – commonly written as Cmaj7 or major seventh.
The major seventh is created by adding an interval of a major seventh above the root of a chord, giving it a happy, light feel that’s often used in popular music. Like other major chords, its identification can be seen through its symmetrical pattern in closed spacing (without duplet), as seen in measure 2 of this example: major triad at bottom, added major seventh on top.
Minor
Seventh chords differ from triads in that their names are determined by the interval relationship of each note to their root, so for a C major seventh chord the fourth note would be B natural instead of G; going up one semitone from there gives E flat as an option; this interval between these two notes is known as a minor third.
A seventh chord can be defined as a triad with an extra note added that creates tension that resolves to the tonic in most musical contexts. Adding this additional note adds richness to music while opening up new genres for any musician to explore.
Just like triads, seventh chords are classified according to their quality. This can be accomplished by evaluating both their triad quality and seventh interval’s relationship to the root – this allows you to categorize each chord by its quality and use it effectively in progressions. There are six quality types of seventh chords (which we will cover further in Chord Quality and Inversion section). C minor seventh chord will serve as an illustration of this process.
Dominant
The dominant seventh chord is an intense and dynamic chord that features three intervals above its root: major third interval, perfect fifth interval and diminished seventh interval. This type of chord forms part of Western harmony and creates tension which must then be resolved. It often serves to establish dramatic moments.
Beginning musicians may find this chord to be daunting at first, as its dissonant notes may be intimidating. Once learned however, using these chords becomes simple – in fact it is the most widely-used type of seventh chord in rock and blues music!
This type of seventh chord is known as a dominant because it serves both as the dominant triad and dominant seventh. Due to this function, dominant seventh chords usually do not use standard key signatures as this could upset scale balance; hence they are typically abbreviated “D7”. They may also be known by another name such as flat seven; this term has specific significance in classical music theory.
Half-diminished
Half-diminished chords are composed of intervals in a specific pattern. Additionally, these chords may also be known as sharpened subdominant diminished triads with minor seventh chords (io7 chords in music theory).
When playing these chords, it is essential that you are familiar with their typical appearances in chord progressions. Most commonly they serve as dominant function chords leading up to either the tonic or major tonic chord.
This chord differs slightly from its counterpart by having only one note reduced in pitch, though it still draws upon a diminished triad with minor seventh flat five chord.
Therefore, this chord is usually written as either an m7(b5) or Cm7b5 in both treble and bass clef notation. Furthermore, its versatility also makes it a good choice when used as part of a minor ii-V-I sequence.
Seventh chords can be an invaluable asset to your repertoire. They are typically created by adding a seventh above any three-note chord triad (three note chord).
This additional note adds more depth and emotion, making them suitable for many genres of music. Seventh chords come in five types: major, minor, dominant, diminished and half-diminished chords.
Major Seventh
Seventh chords can be constructed by adding an additional note that is an eighth interval above the root of a triad, such as adding C (C-E-G) with one more note a 7th above it and creating a major seventh chord (C-E-G-B).
To identify the quality of a seventh chord, identify its notes that are stacked closely together (i.e. triad), followed by any notes located a third or fifth above its root (i.e. seventh). If any accidental applies to it (like we discussed in Triads section of this chapter) using Enharmonic Equivalence respell it (just like in Triads section of this chapter).
Learn 5 types of seventh chords, each with its own distinctive sound. Our first focus will be the familiar major seventh chord that can be heard across various musical genres.
Minor Seventh
Minor seventh chords add depth and texture to your music, often found in jazz music. They are formed by taking a minor triad and adding one note with an interval that spans seven minor sevenths above its root note – creating something known as an altered minor seventh.
This chord can be used at the end of a cadence to add tension or create new musical ideas, and is frequently found in songs and acoustic pieces to give more harmonic sounds to compositions.
Identification of this chord involves looking at the table of major scale notes and finding its root note, then following that with notes which are major thirds above it and perfect fifths and minor sevenths from it respectively. This method provides a quick and straightforward method for building chord progressions into your music pieces allowing for greater variety and complexity of sound as you create complex sounds for them all at once.
Dominant Seventh
The dominant seventh chord is one of five tertian chords most often used in Western music. It consists of a major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh above its root note – making this chord easy to visualize as three major thirds stacked one on top of another; for example a C dominant seventh has three major thirds: C-E-G).
A dominant seventh chord contains tension due to its dissonant nature, making it ideal for use in progressions requiring movement in one particular direction.
That is why dominant seventh chords can be found across almost every genre of music imaginable, including Elvis’ timeless hit “Heartbreak Hotel”, with its A7, B7 and E7 dominant seventh chord progression giving his music its trademark sound of making people move to its beat. Rolling Stones used dominant sevenths extensively as well, such as in their track “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Additionally, rock music contains numerous examples of dominant seventh chords as well; particularly from bands that embrace its bluesy roots such as Blue Oyster Cult or through bands who embrace bluesy roots such as Blue Oyster Cult.
Half-Diminished Seventh
Diminished scale (dim, deg) features notes decreased by one semitone or tone for a completely symmetrical and uniform scale that can be seen as stacks of minor thirds. A half diminished chord (m7b5) can simply be defined as any regular major 7 chord with an extra flat fifth note that is identified with “b5” (this term can also refer to 7th chords generally).
Dim7 chords serve many of the same functions as dominant seventh chords; however, their flattened perfect fifth interval (6 half steps) often results in them feeling more dissonant than major and minor chords. You could view a dim7 as an “intersection chord”, from which modulatory directions can hare off in any number of different directions; making it great for creating tension that resolves into tonic notes while acting as a bridge between chord progressions.
As its name implies, seventh chords add an additional chord note (the seventh) to form four-note triad chords known as seventh chords. There are five varieties of seventh chords: major7, minor7, dominant7, m7b5 and dim7 chords.
Like triads, seventh chords can also be produced using intervals (see the Triads lesson). When built on me and le, these chords contain a major triad with a minor seventh while those built on sol contain one with a flat seven.
Root
Seventh chords are triads with an additional seventh note above the root, providing musicians with another way of expanding their chord vocabulary and opening up an entirely new world of genres in which to play music.
Major seventh chords (C, F and G) possess a warm sound and can be found in many types of music from romantic ballads to soul songs. They are the most commonly found type of seventh chord and typically known as major 7th chords.
Dominant seventh chords (D, F and E) tend to sound dissonant and uncomfortable compared to major triads; they can be constructed on any scale degree.
To determine the quality of a seventh chord, write the root note on a staff and add any accidentals from your key signature to determine its quality. Write then the notes a third, fifth, and seventh above it (draw an extra-long snowperson for the seventh note if necessary to visualize its full structure).
Third
Seventh chords are created by adding an interval of the seventh tone above the root of their underlying triads, creating five types of seventh chords commonly found in western music: major seventh chords (major seventh), minor major sevenths (minor major sevenths), dominant sevenths, half-diminished sevenths, and diminished sevenths.
Chords featuring seventh intervals above the root can produce dissonance that must be addressed by moving down one or more steps towards tonic chord (I). This helps alleviate tension caused by this gap, making the chord sound more stable.
The major seventh chord is an increasingly ubiquitous chord in music genres spanning classical to pop, jazz and R&B; and is even used frequently within funk progressions. Bacharach & David’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” provides an example of this chord’s gentle yet nostalgic use in their nostalgic song. A major seventh is an essential addition to any musician’s harmonic vocabulary.
Fifth
Seventh chords can be created by adding an interval of a seventh above the root note. This adds complexity and emotion to your triad, giving your music an additional depth layer. They can be found across many genres except rock/funk.
To create a seventh chord, draw its root note onto the staff and add notes forming third, fifth and seventh intervals above it. When creating minor seventh chords make sure any necessary accidentals are used per key signature.
Example Cmin7 chord features three notes that form a diminished triad while its seventh note sits a step and a half below its octave, creating a minor diminished seventh chord.
As you learn seventh chords, it is crucial that you practice them using various fingerings and fretboard positions in order to discover and develop your own sound and style with these chords as well as enhance rhythm guitar playing abilities.
Seventh
A seventh chord is one of the more complex types of chords after triads, featuring four notes instead of three and adding the 7th scale degree above its root (hence its name of 1 3 5 7!). Seventh chords possess many more qualities than triads due to what scale degrees can be altered – however most textbooks only name them by their type (triad or seventh).
Major seventh chords (also referred to as maj7) are frequently employed in jazz and bossa nova music, offering an introspective yet romantic sound, in contrast with the sharp tension created by dominant seventh chords.
Seventh chords built on do, fa, sol, or ti are either minor sevenths (do/fa/ti), major sevenths (sol/sol), or diminished sevenths. When they’re stacked in closed spacing, their lowest note is called the root; all other notes above it are named according to generic intervals such as lower middle third and upper middle fifth – see Chord Identification for how you can recognize such open-spaced chords with doubled notes.
Seventh chords add depth, emotion, and complexity to guitar chord progressions – an effect often used in musical genres like Blues and Jazz.
All seventh chords share a similar basic structure with a triad, in addition to adding one additional note an octave higher; this additional note forms what is known as a dominant seventh.
Major
Addition of seventh chords can add additional complexity, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. We will explore five types of seventh chords here in this series.
Seventh chords are four note chords composed of stacking thirds atop one another. Like triads, each chord in a seventh chord has an interval relationship to the root note in its stack – this interval relationship helps define its quality as a seventh chord.
Each of these qualities offers something distinct to your progressions and songwriting, whether that means adding cozy charm of major sevenths or tension from diminished sevenths – essential elements that help expand your harmonic palette and help create great progressions with piano that express various emotions and stories.
Minor
Minor seventh chords are constructed in much the same way as major sevenths but with an added minor third interval. This adds tension while simultaneously giving off melancholic vibes.
As is often the case with seventh chords, they can be dissonant; however, the dissonance can be moderated by creating the chordal seventh as an integrated tone with its preceding chord or through falling-fifth root motion. This approach is recommended as seventh chords tend to develop as accented passing tones that resolve downward into harmony more naturally than any other way.
Another popular variant of the minor seventh is known as half-diminished, constructed on scale degree two of the minor scale and often seen in jazz standards featuring an ii-V-i progression. Easy to construct and can be written as either “o7” or “m75,” this chord can create tension and drama when played.
Dominant
The dominant seventh chord is perhaps the most frequently heard type in music, appearing across genres from classic to blues to rock. Composed of first, third, and fifth notes of any scale combined with a flattened seventh note (half step away from what would otherwise be a full seventh note), its characteristics can be found across genres and musical styles.
While some may find the dissonant sound of a dominant seventh chord unpleasant, its dissonant sound can actually create tension that drives harmonic movement and provides tension for melodies. As such, this chord can be particularly useful in creating drama and urgency within music compositions.
Some musicians might simply add a seventh interval to any chord and refer to it as dominant, without considering its relationship to its root chord. Therefore, when musicians refer to “seventh chords” without specifying whether they’re major or dominant they often mean dominant seventh chords.
Supraniconic
Although not technically a major or minor triad, secondary dominant chord progressions are an invaluable way to create secondary dominant progressions – and understanding their relationships between chords is the cornerstone of becoming an accomplished guitarist.
Because chords consist of three notes, changing just one note can have dramatic reverberations on their sound; intervals between these notes make this possible.
In this example, using the perfect fifth (which always occurs 7 frets, or three and a half tones above the root note) makes the tune sound less melancholic and downbeat; its perfect interval carries with it connotations of stability and resolution rather than dissonance.
Musicians generally refer to this chord shape when discussing “one, four and five” chord progressions; however, you will also see them used in other types of progressions if you take time to learn it properly.