Figured bass notation uses numbers or symbols below notes on a bass clef staff to represent intervals and chord tones, as well as to locate the appropriate bass note for an given harmony.
If a number is followed by an accidental, that indicates it must be sharpened or flattened; for instance a bass note marked as b6 indicates it must be flattened to Ab.
Identifying Seventh Chord Inversions by Ear
One effective method for recognizing seventh chord inversions by ear is listening out for intervals between notes in a chord – perfect fifths, minor sixths and major thirds can all help identify its inversion. When these intervals can be detected it becomes easy to figure out which inversion the chord has taken on.
An alternative method of recognizing seventh chord inversions is reading the figured bass. A seventh chord written in closed position usually shows its bottom number as an interval from its bass note to its next lowest note in the chord; middle number shows an interval from bass note to root; while top number shows the distance from bass note to highest note in chord.
When it comes to seventh chords, no need exists for giving these intervals in figured bass; they are implicit or understood already. Therefore many seventh chords simply receive the number 7 in figured bass notation.
Identifying Seventh Chord Inversions by Symbol
Identification of seventh chord inversions by their symbols is another valuable skill that develops with practice. Starting by identifying first inversion seventh chords and progressing on to second inversion chords may prove useful; other considerations should also be kept in mind such as holding down certain bass notes while changing chords causing the intervals to alter slightly.
To read a figured bass, start by looking underneath the bass note for the symbol that represents its inversion – for instance if F is underlined with 43 it indicates third inversion seventh chord – then use other numbers above it such as 6/4/2 to figure out what notes to play; these correspond with quality as well as quantity of chord.
Identifying Seventh Chord Inversions by Number
Figured bass notation uses numbers above or below the bass note to indicate chords and intervals, commonly found in classical music theory as well as other types of harmony. Also referred to as thoroughbass notation, figured bass notation can also be found used by composers for contemporary pieces that use it.
Seventh chord inversions are commonly notated with figured bass numbers that correspond with each inversion’s root, third, fifth, and seventh above the bass note. For instance, a first inversion seventh chord would typically feature figures 6/5 while second-inversion seventh chords would display 4/3 figures.
Sometimes the figured bass will feature an unusual combination of numbers such as 7/5/4 to indicate non-chord tones within a chord. If there is an accidental symbol such as “b6/4”, that indicates flattening by one semitone; alternatively, chord symbols with # or backslash through them could result in sharpening by an equivalent semitone increment.
Identifying Seventh Chord Inversions by Roman Numerals
A figured bass for a seventh chord typically indicates the root, along with its letters that indicate its sonority (major, minor, diminished or augmented) and quality. Furthermore, it may include Roman numeral symbols to identify inversion of seventh chords.
Seventh chord inversions can be identified by their intervals from the bass note; typically these intervals consist of five fifths and three thirds from its bass note, as shown in Figure 18-6. To create the right voicing of this seventh chord inversion, simply move its bass notes up or down an octave until their interval requirements for each inversion match the interval requirements; to quickly locate these C voicings use this simple trick: go down one fifth from F (ascend one fifth towards B on your staff). It makes understanding figured bass symbols so much simpler!