Some musicians may view 7 rings as straightforward, yet there’s much to take from its complexity. From its subtle groove and varied sound world to Ariana Grande’s unassuming performance style – 7 rings shows her to be far more than just another pop princess.
This song stands out in terms of chord complexity and melody, both of which rank above average in both areas. Let’s begin by exploring its Key of C# Minor.
Key of C# Minor
This lesson will demonstrate how to play 7 Rings chords on piano in C# Minor key. Beginning with scale notes, this tutorial shows that any white note may have either a flat(b) or sharp(#) accidental next to it on the staff.
C# minor features four sharps and is usually associated with E Major as its relative major scale. Although seldom employed in compositions such as Joseph Martin Kraus’ Symphony No. 1 or Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, examples can be seen including these works by Joseph Martin Kraus and Mahler respectively.
First Chord
The A minor triad is the initial chord. Constructed one full step up from a C major triad, its notes consist of A-C-E. This chord has a much darker and somber sound than its major counterpart.
Learning a minor 7th chord can be straightforward if you already know how to play E major, just keep in mind that when creating this chord it requires leaving out the low E string when doing so.
Always practice new chords multiple times each day without pushing too hard; five to ten minutes should suffice.
Second Chord
One factor behind Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” success is its use of an iconic melody from The Sound of Music (1965). “7 Rings” uses “My Favorite Things,” an adaptation from this iconic tune sung by Liesl Tommy that millions have come to recognize over time.
Once you know which chord you wish to focus on, find its dominant and add the seventh to make it into a secondary dominant chord. You can use this approach when playing any major key; additionally it works great in minor keys as well – for instance in C major the initial chord would be B major before resolving to G minor as shown below.
Third Chord
In music, a third is an interval that exists between two notes. It may either be three or four half steps above the chord’s root; for instance, in C Major chord it would be E as its third note.
The song’s catchy rhythm was inspired by Scotch Snap, an old style of music which features short notes on strong beats that alternate with long notes on weak ones, creating an up-tempo but lively rhythm which has long been used across genres like Hip-Hop and R & B.
Fourth Chord
One of the key chords for 7 rings, known as a dominant seventh chord, flattening out seventh scale degree by one note is essential for successful operation of these rings.
This chord can serve as an effective transition or bridge chord, typically taking the form C – C/E – F. You could also try shifting E up one octave for an alternate variation called quart sixth chording (also referred to as C – G – F).
Modest Mussorgsky and Jean Sibelius popularised this form of harmony through their works; its tremolo passages of fourth-based harmony had an exciting, extrovert sound.
Fifth Chord
Fifth chords are composed of the first and fifth notes from a major scale, making them easy to play on piano as substitutes for both major and minor chords.
The perfect fifth is a consonant interval found in all major and minor triads, power chords (made up of root note plus its octave doublings), and chord progressions. It serves to enrich chords by making them fuller and richer sounding.
Sixth Chord
This chord can often be found in early rock songs, especially those featuring boogie woogie. Additionally, this chord can also be found in swing era tunes as well as some Beatles tunes, adding tension without creating too much stress in songs.
This chord is an augmented sixth interval chord. To identify it, look at the chord diagram and count up one octave; note its starting and ending notes before applying interval counting rules to construct it.
Seventh Chord
The seventh chord can set the mood and texture for music of many genres. It takes a regular triad and adds one note a seventh above it, creating a four-note chord (sometimes known as tetrachords).
Major seventh chords are an extremely ubiquitous part of modern songs and can even be found as far back as Claude Debussy’s “Claire de Lune.” Their warm sound can elicit feelings of love and romance.
Minor sevenths can add tension and create a blues feel in songs.