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Harmony Series

7th Chords

Four note chords.

Music Theory

Fundamentals

Frequency

Pitch

Harmony

Chords

7th Chords

Tetrads

So many chords, so little time.

If you are not well versed in Triads and how they are created, then you may want to start with the article on Triads first before reading this one. If you are coming from there, then welcome :-)

Chords that contain four notes amplify the harmonic intensity of the piece.

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Tetrads (7th Chords)

7th chords get their name from the fact that the top most note of the chord is the interval of a 7th away from the root of the chord.

Major 7th Chord

A major 7th chord consists of the intervals of a major 4rd, a perfect 5th and a major 7th. You can also think of a major 7th chord as consisting of a major triad with an added major 7th on top.

Diatonic Chords

C Major 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C

E

G

B

C4

C5

E5

Minor 7th Chord

In a Minor 7th chord we keep the perfect 5th, but wap out the major intervals for minor ones. This means that the major 3rd becomes a minor third, and the major 7th becomes a minor 7th as well.

Diatonic Chords

C Minor 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C

G

Eb

Bb

C4

C5

E5

If we compare the two chords using the same root note we can see this change occur. The root and 5th stay the same, but the 3rd and 7th change back and fourth from major intervals to minor intervals and vice versa.

Diatonic Chords

C 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C3

C4

C5

E5

Dominant 7th Chord

The next 7th chord is a new entry into this category, as we have not seen something like this yet if we have been following along with this harmonic journey from the beginning. The Dominant chord consists of the intervals of a Major 3rd, a Perfect 5th, but a Minor 7th, which, in combination, creates a brand new sound to our ears.

Diatonic Chords

C Dominant 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C

E

G

Bb

C4

C5

E5

Half-Diminished 7th Chord

This chord is the last diatonic 7th chord in the major and minor scale family.

Diatonic Chords

C Half-Diminished 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C

Eb

Gb

Bb

C4

C5

E5

Harmonic Minor

Minor Major 7th Chord

The Minor Major 7th chord consists of a Minor 3rd, a Perfect 5th, and a Major 7th. The two qualities refer to the 3rd and the 7th, respectively.

Diatonic Chords

C Minor-Major 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C

G

B

Eb

C4

C5

E5

Augmented Major 7th Chord

The Augmented Major 7th chord consists of a Major 3rd, an Augmented 5th, and a Major 7th. The two qualities of this chord name are a bit trickier, as the Augmented quality refers to the 5th, and the Major quality refers to both the 3rd and the 7th.

Diatonic Chords

C Augmented-Major 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C

E

B

G#

C4

C5

E5

Diminished 7th Chord

The Diminished 7th chord consists of a Minor 3rd, a Diminished 5th, and a Diminished 7th, which is also the interval of a Major 6th. The difference lies in the context.

Diatonic Chords

C Diminished 7th - Root Position

1 Select a Root Note

2 Select a Chord Quality

3 Select an Extension

4 Select a Position

A2

C

Bbb

Eb

Gb

C4

C5

E5

4 Note Chord Patterns

Augmented Major 7th
Major 7th
Dominant 7th
Minor Major 7th
Minor 7th
Half Diminished 7th
Diminished 7th
R
+4
+4
+3
R
+4
+3
+4
R
+4
+3
+3
R
+3
+4
+4
R
+3
+4
+3
R
+3
+3
+4
R
+3
+3
+3

This is a work in progress so much more info is soon to come, so stay tuned…

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then please consider donating to support :-)

If you enjoyed this article and found it useful, then please consider donating to support :-)

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