12 questions · Music
Four notes instead of three: a seventh chord is a triad with one more third stacked on top. That fourth note makes all the difference: it adds a friction that calls for resolution and gives music its forward motion. The most important example is the dominant seventh: a major triad plus a minor seventh, so C7 is C-E-G-B. It is the classic tension chord. G7, for instance, pushes almost inevitably back to C major: in harmony the dominant resolves into the tonic, and much of Western music rests on that pull. In this pack you will learn the seventh chords on every root along with their notes, from D flat 7 through E flat 7 and F sharp 7 to A flat 7 and B7. In jazz, incidentally, seventh chords are the rule rather than the exception: plain triads sound almost naked there. And the blues positively lives on them: its bittersweet sound comes from playing even the tonic as a seventh chord. Did you know that the minor seventh spans ten semitones? It is the friction note that keeps the whole chord in motion.
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C E G B♭
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : C E G B♭. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? The dominant seventh is the most important tension chord: it pushes to resolve into the home key.
D♭ F A♭ C♭
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : D♭ F A♭ C♭. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? A minor seventh is added to the major triad here: the extra „friction note“ creates the typical tension.
D F♯ A C
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : D F♯ A C. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? The blues thrives on seventh chords: hence its „bittersweet“ sound.
E♭ G B♭ D♭
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : E♭ G B♭ D♭. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? In classical harmony the „dominant“ seventh chord typically resolves to the „tonic“.
E G♯ B D
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : E G♯ B D. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? Four notes instead of three: the seventh chord is a triad with one more third stacked on top.
F A C E♭
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : F A C E♭. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? In jazz, seventh chords are the rule, not the exception: plain triads sound almost „naked“ there.
F♯ A♯ C♯ E
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : F♯ A♯ C♯ E. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? The minor seventh spans ten semitones: it is the tension-laden extra note.
G B D F
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : G B D F. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? G7 is the classic „dominant“ of C major and leads almost inevitably back to it: a cornerstone of music.
A♭ C E♭ G♭
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : A♭ C E♭ G♭. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? 1950s rock 'n' roll was built almost entirely on three seventh chords.
A C♯ E G
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : A C♯ E G. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? Only the minor seventh turns a bright major chord into the driving „seven“ chord.
B♭ D F A♭
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : B♭ D F A♭. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? For centuries the dominant seventh was the key engine for moving from one harmony to the next.
B D♯ F♯ A
A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh, for : B D♯ F♯ A. The added note calls for resolution.
💡 Did you know? Stacking further thirds gives ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords: the colour chords of jazz.
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