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    Seventh Chords

    Uploaded by

    HendraYanuardi

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Seventh Chords

    Uploaded by

    HendraYanuardi
    21 views4 pages

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

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    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    21 views4 pages

    Seventh Chords

    Uploaded by

    HendraYanuardi

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    1

    SEVENTH CHORDS

    Every triad can be extended by adding another third above the fifth of the chord. The resulting
    chord is known as a seventh chord since it contains the interval of a seventh above the bass.

    QUALITIES:
    Seventh chords will be of various qualities.

    The quality of the seventh chord is designated by the quality of the triad and the quality of the
    seventh:

    SEVENTH CHORD TRIAD SEVENTH EXAMPLE


    major (M) major major

    minor (m) minor minor

    dominant (Mm) major minor

    [fully] diminished diminished diminished


    (o)

    Barbara Murphy, 2018 -- https://musictheorymaterials.utk.edu


    2

    half-diminished (o| ) diminished minor

    augmented (A) augmented major

    minor - major (mM) minor Major

    The dominant seventh chord (the Mm seventh chord) is by far the most common seventh chord.
    The fully and half diminished seventh chords are the next most common chords.

    Dominant 7 fully diminished half diminished


    Major-minor dim-dim dim-minor

    INVERSIONS
    Seventh chords can be inverted. A seventh chord is inverted if the bottom-most note, the
    bass, is not the root of the chord.

    Since there are four notes (instead of 3 in a triad), there is a root position and first, second
    and third inversion of a seventh chord.

    ROOT POSITION:
    A seventh chord is said to be in root position when all the intervals are types of thirds.

    Barbara Murphy, 2018 -- https://musictheorymaterials.utk.edu


    3

    Root position is designated simple by a 7, meaning there is a third, fifth and seventh
    above the bass. (The third and the fifth above the bass are understood in the Arabic
    numeral designation.)

    FIRST INVERSION:
    A seventh chord is said to be in first inversion if the third of the chord is in the bass (the
    bottom-most voice).

    6
    5
    3

    In first inversion, all seventh chords contain the intervals of a 3rd, 5th, and 6th. The
    6
    shortened Arabic designation is 5 . The note a third above the bass is assumed to be
    present.

    SECOND INVERSION:
    A seventh chord is said to be in second inversion if the fifth of the chord is in the bass
    (the bottom-most voice).

    6
    4
    3

    In second inversion, all seventh chords contain the intervals of a 3rd, 4th, and 6th. The
    4
    shortened Arabic designation is 3 . The note a sixth above the bass is assumed to be
    present.

    Barbara Murphy, 2018 -- https://musictheorymaterials.utk.edu


    4

    THIRD INVERSION:
    A seventh chord is said to be in third inversion if the seventh of the chord is in the bass
    (the bottom-most voice).

    6
    4
    2

    In third inversion, all seventh chords contain the intervals of a 2nd, 4th, and 6th. The
    4
    shortened Arabic designation is 2 . The note a sixth above the bass is assumed to be
    present.

    Barbara Murphy, 2018 -- https://musictheorymaterials.utk.edu

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