Chord (music) - Seventh Chords

Seventh Chords

Main article: Seventh chord See also: Jazz and pop notation for seventh chords

Seventh chords are tertian chords (see above), constructed by adding a fourth note to a triad, at the interval of a third above the fifth of the chord. This creates the interval of a seventh above the root of the chord, the next natural step in composing tertian chords. The seventh chord on the fifth step of the scale (the dominant seventh) is the only one available in the major scale: it contains all three notes of the diminished triad of the seventh and is frequently used as a stronger substitute for it.

There are various types of seventh chords depending on the quality of both the chord and the seventh added. In chord notation the chord type is sometimes superscripted and sometimes not (e.g. Dm7, Dm7, and Dm7 are all identical).

	Component intervals			Chord symbol	Notes	Audio
	Third	Fifth	Seventh
Diminished seventh	minor	diminished	diminished	Co7, Cdim7	C E♭ G♭ B	Play
Half-diminished seventh	minor	diminished	minor	Cø7, Cm7♭5, C−7(♭5)	C E♭ G♭ B♭	Play
Minor seventh	minor	perfect	minor	Cm7, Cmin7, C−7, C−7	C E♭ G B♭	Play
Minor major seventh	minor	perfect	major	Cm(M7), Cm maj7, C−(j7), C−Δ7, C−M7	C E♭ G B	Play
Dominant seventh	major	perfect	minor	C7, C7, Cdom7	C E G B♭	Play
Major seventh	major	perfect	major	CM7, Cmaj7, CΔ7, CΔ7, CΔ7, Cj7	C E G B	Play
Augmented seventh	major	augmented	minor	C+7, Caug7, C7+, C7+5, C7♯5	C E G♯ B♭	Play
Augmented major seventh	major	augmented	major	C+(M7), CM7+5, CM7♯5, C+j7, C+Δ7	C E G♯ B	Play