seventh chords
Four-note harmonies
A seventh chord is a four-note chord built by stacking three thirds above a root note, adding a seventh interval to a basic triad.
The most common types are major seventh, minor seventh, and dominant seventh chords.
Dominant sevenths create tension that resolves naturally, making them essential to blues, jazz, and classical harmony: The song ends on a jazzy major seventh.
Expressing aloud
- inversionReversal of position
- triadGroup of three
- arpeggioSuccessive chord tones
- diatonicSeven-tone scale-based
tonality · consonance · dissonance · counterpoint · leading tone · suspension · harmonize · polyphony
Fast, complex jazz style
- compingImprovised chordal accompaniment
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- standardsAccepted levels of quality
modal · Coltrane · Monk · Miles · Ellington · Gillespie · turnaround · changes
Rhythmic pulse or pattern
- tonicInvigorating medicinal drink
- dominantHaving superior influence
- leading toneScale's penultimate degree
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
Randomize by mixing
- dominantHaving superior influence
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
- ChicagoMajor Illinois metropolis
- slide guitarStringed instrument with gliding bar
pentatonic · riff · groove · licks · B.B. King · Muddy Waters · Robert Johnson · call-and-response
voicing
Expressing aloud
diatonic · tonality · consonance · dissonance · counterpoint · leading tone · suspension · harmonize · polyphony · cadence
bebop
Fast, complex jazz style
- compingImprovised chordal accompaniment
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- swingSuspended recreational seat
standards · modal · Coltrane · Monk · Miles · Ellington · Gillespie · turnaround · changes · fake book
cadence
Rhythmic pulse or pattern
- tonicInvigorating medicinal drink
- dominantHaving superior influence
- leading toneScale's penultimate degree
shuffle
Randomize by mixing
slide guitar · pentatonic · riff · groove · licks · B.B. King · Muddy Waters · Robert Johnson · call-and-response · bent notes
secondary dominant
Chord resolving to non-tonic
- NeapolitanOf a southern Italian city
- harmonyharmony, triad, triads, consonance, tonality
- chordsA major, A minor, B major, B minor, C major
- musical exerciseswarm-ups, etudes, scales, finger exercises, major scales
- musical texturemonophony, homophony, polyphony, counterpoint, thick texture