Seventh Chord Quiz

Seventh Chords: Definition, Types, and Classification

• A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root.
• The most common seventh chord is the dominant seventh chord, composed of a major triad and a minor seventh.
• There are many types of seventh chords, and they are classified by the type of triad and type of seventh.
• Tertian seventh chords are constructed using a sequence of major and/or minor thirds, resulting in eight possible combinations.
• The five commonly found tertian seventh chords in Western music are the major seventh, minor seventh, dominant seventh, half-diminished seventh, and diminished seventh.
• Non-tertian seventh chords can also be constructed using augmented or diminished thirds, but only a few of them are used in Western music.
• The dominant seventh chord is perhaps the most important seventh chord and was the first to appear regularly in classical music.
• The harmonic seventh chord is a dominant seventh chord formed by a major triad plus a harmonic seventh interval, used in blues and barbershop harmony.
• Major seventh chords are usually constructed on the first or fourth degree of a scale and can sometimes sound dissonant.
• Minor seventh chords are built on the second, third, or sixth degree of a major scale and contain the same notes as an added sixth chord.
• A half-diminished seventh chord is built from the seventh degree of a major scale and uses a minor seventh over the root of a diminished triad.
• A diminished seventh chord is made of three superimposed minor thirds and has been used by composers and musicians for a variety of reasons over time.