7th Chords
• An extension of triads by adding another 3rd onto the stack.
• With the additional note there are many more tonalities of 7th chords than there are with
triads.
• All contain some kind of Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th.
Some of the more common 7th chords
(below using C roots for examples)
| Tonality | Chord symbol | Chord Tones | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major 7th | C |
R
3
5
|
C E G B | |
| Minor 7th | C-7 |
R
|
C
E |
|
| Dominant 7th | C7 |
R
3
5
|
C
E
G
B |
|
| Minor-Major 7th | C |
R
|
C
E |
|
| Half-Diminished 7th | C aka C-7( |
R
|
C
E |
|
| Altered Dominant | C7+ aka C7(alt) |
R
3
|
C
E
G |
|
| Diminished 7th | C |
R
|
C
E |
• There are a slew of altered dominant chords, above is just one example.