Minor seventh chord
In music, a minor seventh chord is any nondominant seventh chord where the "third" note is a minor third above the root.
Most typically, minor seventh chord refers to where the "seventh" note is a minor seventh above the root (a fifth above the third note). This is more precisely known as a minor/minor seventh chord, and it can be represented as either as m7 or -7, or in integer notation, {0, 3, 7, 10}. In a natural minor scale, this chord is on the tonic, subdominant, and dominant[1] degrees. In a harmonic minor scale, this chord is on the subdominant[1] degrees. In an ascending melodic minor scale, this chord is on the supertonic[1] degree. In a major scale, this chord is on the second (supertonic seventh), third (mediant) or sixth (submediant)[2] degrees. For instance the ii7 in the ii-V-I turnaround.
Example of tonic minor seventh chords include LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade", Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song", Chic's "Le Freak", and the Eagles' "One Of These Nights".[3]
| Component intervals from root | |
|---|---|
| minor seventh | |
| perfect fifth | |
| minor third | |
| root | |
| Tuning | |
| 10:12:15:18[4] | |
| Forte no. / |
|
| 4-26 / |
When the seventh note is a major seventh above the root, it is called a minor/major seventh chord. Its harmonic function is similar to that of a "normal" minor seventh, as is the minor seven flat five or half-diminished chord – but in each case, the altered tone (seventh or fifth, respectively) creates a different feeling which is exploited in modulations and to use leading-tones.
Minor seventh as virtual +6 chord
The minor seventh chord may also have its interval of minor seventh (between root and seventh degree, i.e.: { C B♭ } in { C E♭ G B♭ } ) rewritten as an augmented sixth { C E♭ G A♯ }.[5] Rearranging and transposing, this gives { A♭ C♭ E♭ F♯ }, a virtual minor version of the German augmented sixth chord.[6] Again like the typical +6, this enharmonic interpretation gives on a resolution irregular for the minor seventh but normal for the augmented sixth chord, where the 2 voices at the enharmonic major second converge to unison or diverge to octave.[7]
Minor/minor seventh chord table
| Chord | Root | Minor third | Perfect fifth | Minor seventh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cm7 | C | E♭ | G | B♭ |
| C♯m7 | C♯ | E | G♯ | B |
| D♭m7 | D♭ | F♭ (E) | A♭ | C♭ (B) |
| Dm7 | D | F | A | C |
| D♯m7 | D♯ | F♯ | A♯ | C♯ |
| E♭m7 | E♭ | G♭ | B♭ | D♭ |
| Em7 | E | G | B | D |
| Fm7 | F | A♭ | C | E♭ |
| F♯m7 | F♯ | A | C♯ | E |
| G♭m7 | G♭ | B (A) |
D♭ | F♭ (E) |
| Gm7 | G | B♭ | D | F |
| G♯m7 | G♯ | B | D♯ | F♯ |
| A♭m7 | A♭ | C♭ (B) | E♭ | G♭ |
| Am7 | A | C | E | G |
| A♯m7 | A♯ | C♯ | E♯ (F) | G♯ |
| B♭m7 | B♭ | D♭ | F | A♭ |
| Bm7 | B | D | F♯ | A |
The just minor seventh chord is tuned in the ratios 10:12:15:18.[8] <phonos file="Just minor seventh chord on C.mid">Play</phonos> This may be found on iii, vi, and vii.[9] Another tuning may be in the ratios 48:40:32:27.[10] <phonos file="Other just minor seventh chord on C.mid">Play</phonos>
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Benward & Saker (2003). Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. I, p.230. Seventh Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0.
- ↑ Benward & Saker (2003), p.229.
- ↑ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, p.83. ISBN 978-0-300-09239-4.
- ↑ Shirlaw, Matthew (1900). The Theory of Harmony, p.86. ISBN 978-1-4510-1534-8.
- ↑ Ouseley, Frederick. A. Gore (1868). A Treatise on Harmony, pg. 137, Oxford, Clarendon Press.
- ↑ Ouseley, Frederick. A. Gore (1868). A Treatise on Harmony, pg. 143ff, Oxford, Clarendon Press.
- ↑ Christ, William (1966). Materials and Structure of Music, v.2, p. 154. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. LOC 66-14354.
- ↑ David Wright (2009). Mathematics and Music, p.141. ISBN 978-0-8218-4873-9.
- ↑ Wright, David (2009). Mathematics and Music, p.140-41. ISBN 978-0-8218-4873-9.
- ↑ François-Joseph Fétis and Mary I. Arlin (1994). Esquisse de l'histoire de l'harmonie, p.97n55. ISBN 0-945193-51-3.
