Learning Objectives

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Key Takeaways

A seventh chordA four-note chord whose notes can be arranged in thirds. is a four-note chord whose notes can be arranged in thirds. A seventh chord can always be “stacked” so that its notes are either on all lines or all spaces.
When stacked in its most compact form in thirds, the lowest note of a seventh chord is called the rootThe lowest note of a triad or seventh chord when the chord is in root position., the lower middle note is called the thirdThe note of a triad or seventh chord a third above the root., the upper middle note is called the fifthThe note of a triad or seventh chord a fifth above the root., and the highest note is called the chordal seventhThe note of a seventh chord a seventh above the root..
There are five common qualities of seventh chord. These qualities are the major-minor seventh chordA seventh chord whose triad is major and whose seventh is major., minor-minor seventh chordA seventh chord whose triad is major and whose seventh is minor., half-diminished seventh chordA seventh chord in which the triad quality is diminished and the seventh quality is minor. For example: B–D-F-A., and the fully diminished seventh chord.A seventh chord whose triad is diminished and whose seventh is diminished.
There is another common way of naming seventh chords: the major-major seventh chord is also often called the major seventh chordAnother name for a major-major seventh chord, a seventh chord with a major triad and a major seventh., the major-minor seventh chord is also often called the dominant seventh chordA seventh chord in which the triad quality is major and the seventh quality is minor. For example: C–E–G–B♭., the minor-minor seventh chord is also often called the minor seventh chordAnother name for a minor minor seventh chord, a seventh chord with a minor triad and a minor seventh., and the fully diminished seventh chord is also often simply called the fully diminished seventh chord.Another name for a fully diminished seventh chord, a seventh chord with a diminished triad and a diminished seventh.
Within major and minor keys, seventh chords have particular qualities that correspond to scale-degrees. These are the same in every major and minor key, which makes memorizing them useful.
Seventh chords are identified by their rootThe lowest note of a triad or seventh chord when the chord is in root position., qualityWhen applied to an interval, the term "quality" modifies the size descriptor in order to be more specific about the exact number of semitones in the interval. When applied to triadic harmony, "quality" refers to the size of the different intervals that make up the harmony. of triad and chordal seventh, and inversionChords that do not have their root in the bass voice..

In this chapter we will focus upon seventh chords:A four-note chord whose pitch classes can be arranged as thirds. four-note chords whose notes can be stacked into thirds.

Seventh Chords

Like triads, the notes of a seventh chord can always be arranged in thirds. The following example shows a seventh chord written both melodically and harmonically:

This seventh chord is written on four adjacent spaces; however, seventh chords can also appear on four adjacent lines when stacked in thirds. If a triad in closed spacingThe most compact (i.e. "snowperson") form of a chord. looks like a snowperson, then a seventh chord in closed spacing looks like an extra-long snowperson, with a bottom, two middles, and a head.

When a seventh chord is stacked in this manner, the lowest note is called the the rootThe lowest note of a triad or seventh chord when the chord is in root position.. The notes above the root are called the thirdThe note of a triad or seventh chord a third above the root., the fifthThe note of a triad or seventh chord a fifth above the root., and the chordal seventhThe note of a seventh chord a seventh above the root.. The following example illustrates these concepts:

02_chord_elements.png

Like a triad, the third is so named because it is a generic third above the root, the fifth is so named because it is a generic fifth above the root, and the chordal seventh is so named because it is a generic seventh above the root. The root is analogous to a snowperson’s bottom, the third and the fifth to its “extra-long” middle, and the chordal seventh to its head.

Seventh Chord Qualities and Listening to Seventh Chords

There are five common qualities of seventh chord: a major-major seventh chord, a major-minor seventh chord, a minor-minor seventh chord, a half-diminished seventh chord, and a fully diminished seventh chord. The top line of the following example shows the five qualities of chordal seventh in each of these seventh chords, each with a root of F, while the bottom line shows their qualities of triad labeled:

03_chord_qualities.png

As seen in the previous example, a major-major seventh chordAnother name for a major-major seventh chord, a seventh chord with a major triad and a major seventh. has a major triad and a major seventh, while a major-minor seventh chordA seventh chord whose triad is major and whose seventh is minor. has a major triad and a minor seventh. A minor-minor seventh chordA seventh chord whose triad is minor and whose seventh is minor. has a minor triad and a minor seventh. Both a half-diminished seventh chordA seventh chord in which the triad quality is diminished and the seventh quality is minor. For example: B–D-F-A. and a fully diminished seventh chordA seventh chord whose triad is diminished and whose seventh is diminished. have a diminished triad—their difference lies in their quality of chordal seventh. A half-diminished seventh chord contains a minor chordal seventh, while a fully diminished seventh chord contains a diminished chordal seventh.

The names of seventh chords listed above—major-major, major-minor, minor-minor, half-diminished, and fully diminished—are a common way for music theorists to name seventh chords. However, there is another common way of naming these chords:

The major-major seventh chord is also often called the major seventh chordAnother name for a major-major seventh chord, a seventh chord with a major triad and a major seventh..
The major-minor seventh chord is also often called the dominant seventh chordA seventh chord in which the triad quality is major and the seventh quality is minor. For example: C–E–G–B♭..
The minor-minor seventh chord is also often called the minor seventh chordAnother name for a minor minor seventh chord, a seventh chord with a minor triad and a minor seventh..
The fully diminished seventh chord is also often simply called the diminished seventh chordAnother name for a fully diminished seventh chord, a seventh chord with a diminished triad and a diminished seventh..
The half-diminished seventh chord does not typically have an alternate name.

Your instructor may have you label these chords using one set of terminology or the other, or a mix of both.

Listen carefully to the different qualities of seventh chord in the following example:

04_seventh_chord_qualities.png

It is common to pair expressive qualities with seventh chords when learning what they sound like. You might think of major-major seventh chords as sounding “happy and jazzy,” major-minor seventh chords as sounding “unresolved” (like they strongly need to move to another chord), minor-minor seventh chords as “sad and jazzy,” half-diminished seventh chords as “scary and jazzy,” and fully diminished seventh chords as “very scary.”

Shorthand and Chord Symbols of Seventh Chords

There are several different ways of naming seventh chords. The following table summarizes the shorthand system for naming seventh chords that were described above:

Seventh Chord Name	Shorthand
Major-major seventh chord (major seventh chord)	MM7
Major-minor seventh chord (dominant seventh chord)	Mm7
Minor-minor seventh chord (minor seventh chord)	mm7
Half-diminished seventh chord	ø
Fully diminished seventh chord (diminished seventh chord)	o

Chord symbols for seventh chords often include the letter name of the triad’s root, some indication of their quality of triad and seventh, and an indication of the pitch class that occurs in the bass voiceThe lowest part (or "voice") of a composition. if it is not the root, as explored more in the Inversions and Figured Bass class.

The following example shows common chord symbols for seventh chords (a root of “F” has been used as the example in the right-side column):

Seventh Chord Name	Chord Symbol
Major-major seventh chord (major seventh chord)	F^maj7, F^∆7, or F^ma7
Major-minor seventh chord (dominant seventh chord)	F⁷
Minor-minor seventh chord (minor seventh chord)	Fm⁷, F-⁷, or Fmi⁷
Half-diminished seventh chord	F^ø7, Fm^7♭5, or F-^7♭5
Fully diminished seventh chord (diminished seventh chord)	F^o7

Don’t forget that when the root of a seventh chord has accidentals you add these accidentals into its name. For example, a B♭mm⁷ (chord symbol B♭m⁷) chord would be the shorthand for a seventh chord with a B♭ minor triad and a minor seventh. Likewise, a G♯^∆7(shorthand G♯MM⁷) is the chord symbol for a seventh chord with a G♯ major triad and a major seventh.

In chord-symbol notation, if a pitch class other than the chord’s root is the lowest note in a seventh chord, then a slash is added, followed by a capital letter denoting the pitch class in the bass (lowest) voice. The following example shows two seventh chords in chord-symbol notation. The chord in measure 1 has the root in the bass, while the chord in measure 2 does not:

05_diminished_seventh_chords.png

In the above example, the first measure a G^ø7(shorthand G^ø⁷) appears in root position. In the next measure the same chord is shown, but with the note “F” in the bass voice. The class on Inversions and Figured Bass explores this topic in more detail.