The Everything Music Theory Book: A Complete Guide to Taking Your Understanding of Music to the Next Level by Marc Schonbrun

Author:Marc Schonbrun [Schonbrun, Marc]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781593376529
Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.

Extra Credit

The major seventh chord is interesting for two reasons: First, you can spell it simply by choosing the first, third, fifth, and seventh notes from any major scale. This is because a major seventh chord is the tonic seventh chord in a major key. It's also interesting that its proper name of “major/major seventh” shortens to simply “major seventh.”

The next possible seventh chord would be FIGURE 9.4.

Looking at this chord, you see another D major triad (D–F#–A) and an added seventh of C. The interval between D and C is a minor seventh. This chord is fully called a major/minor seventh chord. When it's shortened, it's simply called a seventh chord, as in G7, or D7 in this case. Since the term seventh chord is far too general for music theory, theorists and many musicians call this chord a dominant seventh chord because, as illustrated in FIGURE 9.1, this chord occurs only on the fifth scale degree, which has the proper name of the dominant scale degree. Whichever you call it, G7 or G dominant seventh, both are acceptable and correct.

The formula for a dominant seventh chord is: 1, 3, 5, 7 (if you take the scale degrees from the major scale). Dominant seventh chords are really important! It's awfully hard to have harmony without dominant (V) chords.

Minor Triads with Sevenths

When it comes to minor triads with sevenths, there are also two varieties! Start with FIGURE 9.5.

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