As major and minor triads do, seventh chords help set the mood and texture of piano music from all genres, as well as provide the basis for chord progressions.
Addition of a seventh note can add depth and hint at tension leading up to its home chord. We will explore two types of seventh chords during this lesson.
Major
Major seventh chords are typically the first four note chords that most students discover, as they’re easy to create from basic major triads (C, E and G) combined with adding the seventh note of any scale above it – or, flattening this seventh to create a dominant seventh chord.
Common applications for chord progressions can be found in popular music genres like pop, rock and R & B; however, they can also be found in jazz, blues and film music genres.
To play a major seventh chord, start by playing a root position chord, with your right thumb on middle C and left pinky on an octave lower than C, as a two-note chord (or “root position chord”). Add any seventh of any scale above for an eight note tetrachord chord (tetrachords are four note chords used to form four note harmonies or “tetrachords”) using this rule – any major seventh chord in any key will look something like this: C, E G and B
Minor
Seventh chords are among the first four-note piano chords many musicians learn, as well as being very widespread across popular music. You’ll often encounter them here!
They’re created by adding a major seventh interval above the root of a triad, creating four notes known as tetrachords; for instance, C major seventh chord is made up of C, E, G and B notes.
Minor 7th chords may seem intimidating at first, but once you understand their basic structure they’re relatively straightforward to play. To create one we use the root of a major triad as its starting point and add an octave up minor third.
Reduced 7th chords can create a dramatic, sinister sound. To do so, we combine minor thirds, diminished fifths, and minor sevenths above the root note; these chords can often be written as Cdim7, Gdim7 or Fdim7 to give your song an extra oomph! These powerful chords add dimension and impact!
Dominant
Dominant seventh chords are constructed by adding a flat seventh note to major triads, creating an unstable chord with an unstable feel and wanting to resolve into a major chord five steps away. Dominant sevenths also give music an impressive power and tension-filled sound when used properly – you will often find these chords used in Blues, Rock and modern Pop songs; Romantic-era piano pieces such as Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” also use dominant sevenths frequently.
To play a dominant chord on the piano, start with your root triad (comprising of first, third and fifth notes of any given scale), and add a flat seventh note above it. From there you can play it using only three fingers from your right hand – first, second and third fingers of either hand.
This chord can be identified on sheet music as C7. Additionally, this tone may also be known as its A-Vibrating or B-Vibrating versions.
Suspended
As can be seen, the formula for creating a suspended chord differs slightly from that for regular seventh chords but remains straightforward: simply double your root note and move it down two keys (half steps). Position your thumb on the same key as your root and count until you hit your second note of playback; place another finger there until all sus2 chords have been played – add bass note octaves as usual after this process has completed itself.
Suspended chords are striking in that they seem suspended in midair, waiting for resolution of their home chord. Suspended chords can create tension before getting to an ending chord, and in classical music may even prolong resolution to add drama and make the ending more dramatic.
Seventh chords are one of the first four-note piano chords most players learn, often used in blues and jazz music but also occasionally applied elsewhere.
A seventh chord can be created by adding a major interval (11 half steps) above the root of a triad. There are three types of seventh chords:
Major Seventh Chord
The major seventh chord is an accessible four note chord found across various musical genres including pop, jazz and blues. Most people start learning this type of seventh chord early because its keyboard-friendly nature makes it accessible.
To play the major 7th chord, start with your right thumb on middle C and left pinky on an octave C above it. Next, lower that upper C by one semitone to B to create your major 7th chord.
Here is an effective pattern you can follow to discover all major seventh chords. All it requires is taking any major triad (composed of the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes from your scale) and adding in an altered seventh note lowered one semitone lower.
This formula applies to all major 7th chords in any key, so keep it in mind when learning chord symbols on lead sheets.
Minor Seventh Chord
Seventh chords bring emotion and tension to songs, yet can be challenging to play due to their dissonant nature. Once you learn how to produce these chords, however, they’ll open up an entirely new world for your piano playing!
Minor seventh chords are constructed by adding a minor 7th note to a minor triad, creating an emotionally rich yet less lonely sound that often finds usage in Romantic piano music as well as modern jazz or piano ballads. This type of chord can also be found in Romantic songs of this era as well as jazz.
To play a minor seventh chord, begin by placing your fingers on the root note as usual, before adding three fingered on middle note and fourth on top note of triad triad. Playing this minor 7th chord should be easier than you think: just remember that major 7th has two notes lowered by half step for minor 7. Once memorized it should come easily!
Dominant Seventh Chord
This is one of the most frequently found seventh chords in music, appearing frequently in pop and rock songs as well as jazz and blues music. Because it contains more notes than basic major or minor triads, however, mastering it takes practice and patience to achieve.
An effective approach for learning major triads and adding the 7th note (B) to them is by first becoming acquainted with major triads, before gradually adding in dominant seventh chords such as C7 on sheet music or lead sheets.
The added 7th note is an integral part of this chord’s sound, creating an upward motion towards its tonic chord that makes it ideal for chord progressions and modulations as well as harmonizing tonic tones in scales.
Diatonic Seventh Chord
Though you won’t often come across them in Rock, Heavy Metal or Early Medieval music genres (such as Rock), seventh chords are an indispensable component of many other styles of popular and jazz music – and luckily are relatively straightforward to play!
Once you understand major and minor triads, learning seventh chords on piano shouldn’t be too challenging. Simply practice them using different song contexts such as twelve bar blues for best results.
Learn the fully diminished seventh chord, commonly referred to as an o7 chord. Composed of a diminished triad and its own diminished seventh, this chord adds tension or modulates quickly between chords; you may have encountered these chords during jazz improvisation improvisation sessions; to hear this chord in action take a look at Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars” Skoove tutorial as a good example.
Seventh chords can be found across many genres of music, though they’re most prevalent in blues and jazz. Not only can they add tension to your playing, but can also add an air of mystery!
In this lesson, you will discover five of the essential seventh chords on piano – including major, minor and dominant seventh chords.
Major Seventh
The Major Seventh is an intricate chord used frequently in jazz, R&B and blues music, often creating a different kind of emotion than basic triads while adding depth and flavor to chord progressions. You may also hear this sound in popular genres such as pop or rock music.
A major seventh chord can be created by taking a basic major triad (consisting of root, major third and perfect fifth notes) and adding the seventh note from above to it – creating a four note chord often known by its abbreviation CM7 or major 7.
Construction of the major seventh is simple. To locate it, place your right thumb on middle C and your left pinky on an octave above it; play C-E-G before shifting the top C down half step to become B; that will form your major seventh! All the other notes already exist from its parent triad so all four notes make up your major seventh chord!
Minor Seventh
The minor seventh chord is similar to its major seventh counterpart, yet one note lower. This creates tension which often resolves into the tonic chord (I) of the key; common in Latin genres like bolero.
To play the minor seventh chord on piano, follow a similar finger pattern to playing a major seventh chord, but drop either thumb by one key – this technique is known as contrary motion and makes for an easy introduction for beginners.
Add an augmented seventh chord by combining major thirds and flattening fifths to form an augmented seventh chord, which is very popular in jazz music, creating a dissonant sounding chord tensely dissonant that adds emotion and character to piano playing. Start practicing daily until improvising using seventh chords like an expert!
Dominant Seventh
The Dominant Seventh Chord can be found across genres of music. It adds depth and variety beyond what major or minor chords offer, giving your songs greater dimension and dimension.
To create the chord, take any major triad or chord and add the seventh note from above it, such as C maj7 would become C E G B.
These chords have a more relaxed tone and can often be found in love songs and pop music, as well as classical pieces like Debussy’s Claire de Lune.
Note that these chords should not be confused with Major 7th or Minor 7th Chords, which have a different sound and more of a consonant character. This table presents you with the fundamental structure for each chord type as well as Roman numerals representing its interval quality (diminished, minor major perfect or augment). Familiarizing yourself with these intervals and how they function is key for creating your own triads and chords on piano keyboard.
Mixolydian Seventh
When playing dominant 7 chords in jazz, having an understanding of the Mixolydian scale is crucial to success. This Quick Tip video will teach you five jazz scales for improvising on dominant 7 chords.
Mixolydian scale is the fifth mode of the Ionian scale and features both major 3rds and flat 7ths to produce its distinctive sound that works especially well with dominant 7 chords.
Mixolydian scale’s seventh note, Db, corresponds with G7 chord based on this scale and features a lower 7th that adds tension to your music.
This chord can work beautifully over G7, F7, and even G13 chords, so experimentation is recommended to see how it sounds in your music. Also be sure to view our complete piano chord chart of all half diminished 7th chords; this chart will help you learn the various variations and provide a firm foundation from which to build upon.
Seventh chords are one of the first four-note piano chords most people learn, as they’re simple and often used in popular music.
Major seventh chords consist of a major triad with an added major 7th (for instance Cmaj7 = C E G B). When added to a major triad, flatted sevenths create dominant seventh chords.
Major Seventh
The Major Seventh chord on piano is one of the easiest chords to build and recognize, making it popular in pop and soul music as well as being found in works such as “Claire de Lune” by Claude Debussy.
This chord can be created by adding a major seventh note to the root of a major triad in root position. For instance, starting from C, E and G in root position and adding one major seventh note an octave below the top note would create what’s known as an Amaj7 chord (abbreviated A).
Learning this type of chord first before proceeding to more complex shapes or voicings is recommended. Once you can construct this type in root position, improvising and reading sheet music or lead sheets should become much simpler. Furthermore, this chord serves as a solid basis for mastering other types of seventh chords such as Dominant Seventh and Diminished Seventh.
Minor Seventh
A minor seventh chord on piano is an invaluable chord to master. This chord allows musicians to build various progressions as well as produce a more relaxing sound.
Notating this type of chord might appear complicated at first glance, but it’s actually quite straightforward: just take the major seventh chord and flatten (lower) its fifth note by half step to create the minor seventh chord (E-G-B).
Another popular application of this chord is as a dominant seventh. These chords are commonly seen in blues music and particularly boogie woogie piano; check out Skoove tutorial ‘Bouncie Boogie’ to learn to play these chords at your own pace over a lively bass line.
Dominant Seventh
Dominant seventh chords can be found across various music genres, particularly pop and RnB. They’re an effective way to add tension to the piece and add dramatic effects to its arrangement.
This chord can be created by combining a diminished triad with an added flat 7th note to form a tritone interval, adding tension and drama.
Classical music uses this chord at the conclusion of pieces to convey passion, anger or even danger.
Building a dominant seventh chord can be done using any root note, making it an excellent place to begin when learning chord theory. Not only is this chord easy and sounds good in any key, but you can use different root notes as building blocks so as to expand on its potential and explore its variety of sounds.
Diminished Seventh
Diminished Seventh chords are an easy way to add tension in your music, and are simple to play as well. All it requires is creating a stack of minor 3rds that starts from any key and ends one step below its root chord!
As opposed to triads, which consist of only three notes, 7th chords consist of four notes played simultaneously or overlapped together or overlapped. They come in different varieties such as diminished, half-diminished, minor major perfect and augmented chord qualities.
These chord qualities are determined by the intervals that separate individual chord notes. Each quality has its own name and set of short interval names/abbreviations; for instance, Major 7th chord is known as 1b3 5b7 of the major scale while Minor 7th is commonly called D-F-Ab-Cb or Dm-7. With these intervals at your disposal you can determine each note’s place within a chord – an essential skill when playing piano chords!