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The fully diminished chord is quite rare for diatonic chord progressions; however, it is very handy for modulating between keys. It serves as a pivot chord between basically any 2 keys. It is also useful to enter an atonal feel, where chromatic or octatonic scales can play over the chord.
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{{Intermediate Lesson Crumbs|13}}
'''Seventh Chords''' extend our basic Root-3rd-5th triad chords by adding a 7th (R-3-5-7). This extra note adds an additional degree of harmonic complexity to chords. They can be used to strenghthen or weaken the resolve of cadences, as well as simply making things more interesting. It gives us a much greater variety of chords to choose from.
== PreReqs ==
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The '''Dominant Seventh''' is the most common 7th chord. It is the dominant 7th (V{{7}}) chord of the Major and Harmonic Minor scales. The m7 in the chord above the major triad enhances the tension of the dominant chord and its resolution to tonic. It contains the following intervals:
R M3 P5 m7
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The '''Major Seventh''' is a fairly common 7th chord (also sometimes written as {{maj}}{{7}}). It appears as on the I and IV chords diatonic to the major keys. The M7 typically needs some space to prevent it from sounding overly dissonant. If the octave is stacked on top the M7, you get the inversion of the M7, the m2 interval, which is very dissonant. Overall, I find this chord sounds quite peaceful; however, it still has a bit of tension. This makes it work great for jazz or if you want to use the tonic without feeling fully resolved. It contains the following intervals:
R M3 P5 M7
== Minor Seventh ==
The '''minor seventh''' is a very common 7th chord. It appears as the ii{{7}}, iii{{7}}, and vi{{7}} in major keys; i{{7}}, iv{{7}}, and v{{7}} in natural minor; and iv{{7}} in harmonic minor.
{|class="wikitable"
! Member Notes !! Spelling !! Ex.
| (R m3 P5 M7) || Rm{{maj}}{{7}} (R = Root Note) ''or'' Rm maj{{7}} || Dm{{maj}}{{7}}, (D F A C{{s}}) ''or'' Dm maj{{7}}
|}
The '''minor/major seventh''' chord is a particularly rare chord. It is the diatonic i{{7}} chord of harmonic minor.
R m3 P5 M7
! Member Notes !! Spelling !! Ex.
|-
| (R m3 d5 m7) || R{{hdim7hdim}}{{7}} (R = Root Note) || B{{hdim7hdim}}{{7}}, (B D F A)
|}
The '''half diminished seventh''' chord adds a m7 above root to a diminished triad. This is usually the diatonic 7th for diminished chords, appearing as vii{{hdim}}{{7}} in major and ii{{hdim}}{{7}} in minor keys.
R m3 d5 m7
'''-------m7-------'''
The 7th here adds M3, P5, and m7 intervals to the chord, improving its consonance. I find the half-dimisished chords are also easier to finger and allow more strings to ring out than the diminished triad shapes. I recommend using this chord in place of diminished triads where possible.
{|
== Fully Diminished ==
{|class="wikitable"
! Member Notes !! Spelling !! Ex.
| (R m3 d5 d7) || R{{dim}}{{7}} (R = Root Note) || B{{dim}}{{7}}, (B D F A{{f}})
|}
The '''fully diminished seventh chord''' is quite rare for diatonic chord progressions; however, it is very handy for modulating between keys. It serves as a pivot chord between basically any 2 keys. It is also useful to enter an atonal feel, where chromatic or octatonic scales can play over the chord. It is the diatonic vii{{dim}}{{7}} of harmonic minor.
R m3 d5 d7
|}
The '''augmented seventh chord''' adds a M7 to an augmented triad. I honestly didn't even think about this chord until looking at the diatonic 7th chords for harmonic minor. This is the its III+7 chord.
R M3 a5 M7
'''-------M7-------'''
Similar to how the added m7 helps stabilize the Half Diminished half diminished 7th Chordchord, the added M7 here adds m3, P5, and m7 intervals, helping to stabilize the chord. The 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the chord compose a major triad. This lightens the dissonance of the (R 3 5) augmented triad.
{|
= Diatonic Chords =
Only Dominant dominant 7ths, Minor minor 7ths, Major major 7ths, and Half-Diminished half diminished 7ths are diatonic to the major and natural minor scales.
{|class="wikitable"
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Harmonic Minor uses those but additionally adds an Augmented augmented 7th, a Minorminor/Major major 7th, and a Fully Diminished fully diminished 7th. Every chord is a unique variation.
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The Fully Diminished fully diminished 7th is also diatonic to the [[Exotic Scales|octatonic diminished scales (Whole-Half and Half-Whole)]].
== Sample Progressions ==
''The most common use of 7th chords comes in the form of V{{7}} - I (or i) progressions.''
As noted for the Augmented augmented 7th and Half Diminished half diminished 7th Chords, the 7th helps add consonance and lightens the feel of the basic triad, while adding a richer harmony to it and making it feel more complex. I recommend always using the Half Diminished half diminished 7th over the triad when diatonic to the current key, especially as the vii{{hdim7hdim}}{{7}} chord of a Major major key.
Sevenths can also be desirable for voice leading purposes. Or it may simply be implied by a melody line.
Fully Diminished diminished and Minorminor/Major major 7th Chords chords are particularly dissonant and create a particularly unresolved feeling. The Fully Diminished Chord fully diminished 7th chord can also be used to signal an atonal feel.
= Homework =