Definition
A seventh chord adds one more third to the triad: root, 3rd, 5th, 7th. Combining the quality of the triad with the type of seventh (major, minor, diminished) gives the following qualities. This card is a reference catalog; the basic functional role is covered in “Seventh chords”.
The five main qualities (on C)
| Name | Notes | Structure | Symbols |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major seventh | C E G B | major triad + M7 | Cmaj7, CM7, CΔ7 |
| Dominant seventh | C E G Bb | major triad + m7 | C7 |
| Minor seventh | C Eb G Bb | minor triad + m7 | Cm7, C-7 |
| Half-diminished | C Eb Gb Bb | diminished triad + m7 | Cø7, Cm7b5 |
| Diminished | C Eb Gb Bbb | diminished triad + diminished 7th | C°7, Cdim7 |
The secondary qualities
| Name | Notes | Where it occurs |
|---|---|---|
| Minor with major 7th | C Eb G B | i of harmonic and melodic minor (Cm(maj7), C-Δ7) |
| Major 7 with augmented 5th | C E G# B | III+ of harmonic and melodic minor (Cmaj7#5, CΔ7#5) |
| Dominant with augmented 5th | C E G# Bb | whole-tone scale, altered scale (C7#5, C+7, C7(b13)) |
| Dominant with diminished 5th | C E Gb Bb | whole-tone, Lydian dominant; enharmonic equivalent of the French sixth (C7b5) |
| Dominant sus4 | C F G Bb | suspended V of jazz and pop (C7sus4, often with a 9th: C9sus4) |
| Major 7 with diminished 5th | C E Gb B | Lydian (Cmaj7b5, Cmaj7#11 without the 5th) |
| Diminished with major 7th | C Eb Gb B | rare, in diminished scales (C°(maj7)) |
Diatonic seventh chords
- Major: Imaj7 – ii7 – iii7 – IVmaj7 – V7 – vi7 – viiø7. In C: Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bø7.
- Natural minor: i7 – iiø7 – bIIImaj7 – iv7 – v7 – bVImaj7 – bVII7. In A: Am7 Bø7 Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7.
- Harmonic minor: i(maj7) – iiø7 – bIII+maj7 – iv7 – V7 – bVImaj7 – vii°7. In A: Am(maj7) Bø7 Cmaj7#5 Dm7 E7 Fmaj7 G#°7.
- Melodic minor: i(maj7) – ii7 – bIII+maj7 – IV7 – V7 – viø7 – viiø7. In A: Am(maj7) Bm7 Cmaj7#5 D7 E7 F#ø7 G#ø7.
Key observation: the dominant seventh appears only once in the major scale (on the V): this is why it identifies the key.
Inversions and figures
| Position | Bass | Figure | Example G7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | root | 7 | G B D F |
| First inversion | 3rd | 6/5 | B D F G (G7/B) |
| Second inversion | 5th | 4/3 | D F G B (G7/D) |
| Third inversion | 7th | 4/2 (or 2) | F G B D (G7/F) |
The third inversion has the seventh in the bass, which must descend: V4/2 almost always resolves to I6 (G7/F → C/E).
Color and use
- maj7: soft, bright, dreamy (pop, neo-soul, bossa, lo-fi). Watch out for the major 7th against the root doubled in the melody: it creates a harsh minor 9th.
- 7: directional tension (3–7 tritone); in the blues it becomes stable, even as a tonic chord.
- m7: soft, funky; it is the ii of the ii–V–I and the i of Dorian vamps.
- ø7: melancholic, suspended; ii of the minor (Bø7–E7–Am).
- °7: maximum symmetrical tension; four possible resolutions (see Enharmony).
- m(maj7): dark and mysterious: the so-called “James Bond chord”.
Examples in real songs
- “Something” (The Beatles): C – Cmaj7 – C7 – F, the seventh descending chromatically (C, B, Bb) turns the tonic into the dominant of IV.
- The James Bond theme (Monty Norman, arranged by John Barry): the ending on Em(maj9) is the most famous m(maj7).
- The “Tristan chord” (Wagner, Tristan und Isolde, 1865): F–B–D#–G#, an enharmonic spelling of a half-diminished chord (Fø7).
- “Fly Me to the Moon” (Bart Howard): a chain of diatonic sevenths Am7 Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 Fmaj7 Bø7 E7 Am.
Exercise
- Build all five main qualities on F, Bb, E and Ab.
- Harmonize the C major scale with diatonic sevenths on a piano (Keyscape, FL Keys, Stage-73 V) and listen to the color of each one.
- Program a loop Cmaj7 – Am7 – Dm7 – G7 with the third inversion of G7 (G7/F) going to C/E: listen to the bass descent.
Related topics
Seventh chords; The diminished seventh chord and its uses; Ninth chords; Altered chords; Chord symbols; The jazz ii–V–I.