However, seventh chords differ in that they tend to be dissonant and require greater care when handled. But don’t take their dissonant nature for granted: in most situations they serve the same purposes as triads.
Seventh chords can be formed by stacking three triads with an extra pitch sounding seven intervals above their root chord, the quality of this additional seventh pitch dictating its function within the chord.
Major
As is obvious, a major seventh chord is simply a triad with an added seventh note – making them one of the easiest chords to understand and break into two parts: the base triad and major seventh.
Piano chords evoke feelings of romance and serenity when played alone, yet also work incredibly well as lead chords for subsequent chords in jazz and Latin jazz songs. This role can often be found among some of the most beloved tracks from both genres.
The major seventh chord can be found in Debussy’s “Claire de Lune,” among other romantic music, soul, and pop. It stands out with its bright sound compared with dissonant dominant seventh chords.
Minor
Minor seventh chords combine the 1st, flattened 3rd, and 5th of a major triad with a minor 7th note, often written as Cm7 but often found as C – Eb – G – Bb.
As you climb higher on a scale degree, each note must either be major or minor interval. Simply stated, major intervals sound bright and cheerful while minor feels sadder or melancholic.
For easy identification of minor and major chords, just look at the distance between its root note and third note – that should do it! While this might sound simple enough, just remember that changing any element on this scale can change its character drastically; listening closely when analyzing chord progressions is essential in doing this analysis correctly.
Dominant
Dominant seventh chords (also referred to as major-minor seventh chords) feature both a major triad and minor seventh, creating a powerful sound with their combination. You may hear these chords used in songs by The Rolling Stones such as (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and Blue Oyster Cult such as ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper.’
Seventh chords can add depth and sophistication to your music, but they can be challenging to remember and keep straight due to all their varieties. Luckily, there are some simple rules you can follow to ensure your chord progressions always sound good – stay tuned as we explore these principles on LANDR Blog soon!
Augmented
augmented chords play an integral role in many songs. Their main function is creating tension before transitioning to more stable chords – for instance, The Milk Carton Kids (often considered Simon & Garfunkel’s successors) employ an E+ in their folk ballad “Stealing Romance”.
Augmented chords feature a sharpened or raised 5th note that forces all other notes in the chord to move higher up the scale, creating tension within them that must be resolved.
Enhance any dominant-function or major seventh chord by simply adding a dominant seventh or major seventh to an augmented triad – it can even be inverted to form different shapes!
diminished
Diminished chords are an effective way of adding tension and drama to your progression. Their dissonant nature forces listeners back toward the key’s tonic chord, creating tension that makes your listeners want to resolve back there as soon as they hear it again. Diminished chords also provide a convenient link between two different chords in your progression, creating tension throughout.
If you have an understanding of scales and chord formation, diminished seventh chords should be straightforward for you to comprehend. They consist essentially of stacks of minor thirds.
These chords often rely on the leading tone, though other scale degrees may also serve as roots. Cords rooted on non-leading-tone scale degrees do not function as dominant chords and are known as appoggiatura chords – with Edim7/Gdim7 being among the more frequent examples in major keys.