Seventh Chords
Main article: Seventh chord See also: Jazz and pop notation for seventh chordsSeventh 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 |
Read more about this topic: Chord (music)
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