Module 10 — Seventh Chords: The Language of Jazz, Pop, and Richer Harmony
This module is a major step.
Triads give us:
root – 3rd – 5th
Seventh chords add one more note:
root – 3rd – 5th – 7th
That one extra note creates much more harmonic identity.
The five types you need first are:
- major 7
- dominant 7
- minor 7
- half-diminished 7
- diminished 7
10.1Start with C major 7C major triad:10.2C7 is not the same as Cmaj7This distinction is essential.10.3Hear the differencePlay:10.4Why C7 resolves to FC7:10.5The general dominant ruleA dominant seventh chord tends to resolve down a fifth / up a fourth.10.6Minor seventhStart with C minor:10.7The four basic formulasMemorize these:10.8Half-diminished notationYou may see:10.9Fully diminished seventhNow:10.10Why diminished seventh notation looks strangeYou may wonder:10.11Stack-of-thirds methodAnother way to understand seventh chords is by stacked thirds.10.12Seventh chords inside a major keyLet's build seventh chords using only notes of C major.10.13The fifth degree is specialIn C major:10.14The ii–V–I now makes complete senseIn C:10.15Do the same in G majorG major:10.16And F majorF major:10.17The 3rd and 7th tell you the chord typeCompare:10.18Guide-tone exercisePlay only:10.19Dominant seventh contains a tritoneTake G7:10.20Tritones recur every dominant chordD7:10.21Major seventh does not demand the same resolutionCmaj7:10.22Minor 7 is usually softer than dominant 7Compare:10.23Hear Dm7 versus D7Play:10.24Secondary-dominant previewIn C major, D7 contains F♯, which is outside the C-major scale.10.25Seventh chords in natural minorLet's look at A natural minor:10.26Minor-key dominant seventhIn A minor, we usually want:10.27The ii–V–i in minorA very important minor progression:10.28Why ii is half-diminished in minorA harmonic/natural minor material gives degree 2 chord:10.29Play major ii–V–I versus minor ii–V–iDm7 → G7 → Cmaj710.30Half-diminished guide tonesBm7♭5:10.31Fully diminished seventh symmetryPlay:10.32One diminished seventh chord has four possible namesBecause every note is equally spaced:10.33Diminished seventh as leading-tone chordIn C minor/major context:10.34The symbol trap: B° versus B°7Remember:10.35Practical chord-symbol translationWhen you see:10.36Build chords from formulasPick any root.10.37Learn quality by altering one noteStart with Cmaj7:10.38Play that transformationSlowly:10.39Seventh-chord inversionsFour-note chords have four positions.10.40Why 3rd inversion mattersIn C7:10.41Voice leading ii–V–I using 7thsTry RH:10.42Shell versionLH roots:10.43Minor ii–V–i shell versionIn A minor:10.44A useful 7th-chord progressionPlay:10.45Add voice leadingTry RH:10.46Ear training: four qualitiesPick the same root C.10.47Dominant seventh recognition is especially importantIf there's one seventh-chord quality you should learn to recognize early, it's:10.48Don't confuse chord quality and functionImportant distinction:10.49A lead-sheet reading exerciseIf you see:10.50Analyze that progressionIn C:•Homework for Module 10Spend about 30 minutes.•Module 10 mini-test1. What notes are in Cmaj7?