Lesson 10
7th chords

Practice Drills
ID all 7th chords
write 7ths root
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Assignments

 

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2

7th chord qualities

Following are the five most commonly encountered types of 7th chords:

  = major seventh
  = minor seventh
  = major-minor seventh (also called dominant seventh when it occurs on the fifth scale degree)
  = 1/2-dim 7 or half-diminished seventh
  = fully-diminished seventh

You can think of each seventh chord as a triad with an added third at the top, or as a triad with an added 7th from the root. The following table demonstrates both methods of constructing the five 7th-chord qualities you need to learn:


7th chord qualities


major seventh
chord =

major triad with major 3rd on top or major triad with major 7th

     

minor seventh chord =

minor triad with minor 3rd on top or minor triad with minor 7th

     
major-minor seventh chord =

major triad with minor 3rd on top or major triad with minor 7th

     

1/2-diminished seventh chord =

diminished triad with major 3rd on top or diminished triad with minor 7th

     

fully-diminished seventh chord =

diminished triad with minor 3rd on top or diminished triad with diminished 7th

 

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