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B.3Supplement B, Chords
Seventh Chords
You're going to discover the types of seventh chords, the degrees they sit on in major and in minor, and the chord symbols musicians use for them today.
Let's add one more third on top of each triad. On every degree, you now get a four-note chord, also called a seventh chord, because its top note forms a seventh with the root (§ 297).
| Type | Structure | Name | Major | Minor | Chord symbol (example) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | major triad and minor 7th | dominant seventh | V | V | G7 |
| 2nd | minor triad and minor 7th | minor seventh | ii, iii, vi | iv | Dm7 |
| 3rd | diminished triad and minor 7th | half-diminished seventh (minor seventh with diminished fifth) | vii | ii | Bm7b5 or Bø |
| 4th | major triad and major 7th | major seventh | I, IV | VI | Cmaj7 or CΔ |
| diminished triad and diminished 7th | diminished seventh | none | vii | B°7 or Bdim7 | |
| minor triad and major 7th | minor-major seventh (chord on degree 1 in minor) | none | i | AmM7 or Am(maj7) | |
| augmented triad and major 7th | augmented major seventh (chord on degree 3 in minor) | none | III | C+maj7 |
Seventh chords in both modes.
WorkshopChordsFull screen
Listen and compare the seven colors of seventh chords.
Tonic
Mode
Chords
Inversion
| Degree | Notes | Quality | Symbol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I · tonic | C E G | major triad | C | |
| ii · supertonic | D F A | minor triad | Dm | |
| iii · mediant | E G B | minor triad | Em | |
| IV · subdominant | F A C | major triad | F | |
| V · dominant | G B D | major triad | G | |
| vi · submediant | A C E | minor triad | Am | |
| vii° · leading tone | B D F | diminished triad | B° |
Position : 5/3 (root position).
Exercisein the method's spirit
Name the keys and degrees the following seventh chords, in root position, can belong to: a) D, F#, A, C b) B, D, F, A c) D#, F#, A, C d) E-flat, G, B-flat, D.
That completes our tour of chords. In the next lesson, we leave harmony for the orchestra and look at the range of each instrument. First, a few questions to check what you've learned.
Check your understanding
7 questions1.
The chord G, B, D, F is:
2.
On which degree of the minor mode do you find the diminished seventh?
3.
The chord D, F, A, C matches the symbol:
4.
Which type sits on degrees 1 and 4 in major?
5.
What is this chord?
6.
In C, which note is in the bass of the dominant seventh in third inversion?
7.
The progression Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 corresponds to the degrees: