Seventh Chords & Extended Harmony
Adding a fourth note to a triad creates a seventh chord — richer, more colorful, and essential to jazz, pop, and classical music. This week deepens your harmonic vocabulary.
Learning Goals
Lesson Content
Types of Seventh Chords
A seventh chord adds a note a seventh above the root to a triad:
- Major 7th (Cmaj7): C-E-G-B — Major triad + Major 7th. Dreamy, sophisticated.
- Minor 7th (Cm7): C-Eb-G-Bb — Minor triad + Minor 7th. Mellow, jazzy.
- Dominant 7th (C7): C-E-G-Bb — Major triad + Minor 7th. Bluesy, wants to resolve.
- Diminished 7th (Cdim7): C-Eb-Gb-Bbb(A) — Diminished triad + Diminished 7th. Very tense.
Diatonic 7th Chords in C Major
- Imaj7: Cmaj7 (C-E-G-B)
- ii7: Dm7 (D-F-A-C)
- iii7: Em7 (E-G-B-D)
- IVmaj7: Fmaj7 (F-A-C-E)
- V7: G7 (G-B-D-F)
- vi7: Am7 (A-C-E-G)
- vii7b5: Bm7b5 (B-D-F-A)
The ii-V-I Progression
The most important progression in jazz: Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7. The ii7 creates gentle tension, the V7 creates strong tension, and the Imaj7 resolves it beautifully. Learning to hear this movement is a milestone in your musical development.
Practice Activities
Activity 1: Play Seventh Chords
On the Synthesizer, build each 7th chord from C. Compare Cmaj7, Cm7, C7, and Cdim7. Then play the ii-V-I progression: Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7. Let each chord ring for 4 beats.
Activity 2: Chord Identification — Advanced
Move to Advanced difficulty in the Chord Identification game. This mode may include 7th chord qualities and inversions. Push for accuracy at this new challenge level.
Activity 3: Advanced Note Reading
Move to Advanced difficulty in Note Reading with Both clefs. Try challenging key signatures like E major (4#) or Ab major (4b). You should be reading fluently in any key by now.
Activity 4: Chord Reading — Advanced
Move to Advanced difficulty in the Chord Reading game. Read 7th chords and complex voicings on the staff. This challenges you to quickly identify chord quality from dense notation.
Activity 5: Voice Seventh Chords on the Synth with Metronome
Set the Metronome to 80 BPM. On the Synthesizer, play the ii-V-I cycle (Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7) for two bars each. Use 3-note voicings (omit the root) to sound like a jazz pianist.