Seventh Chords and Inversions

Overview

This lecture explains seventh chords, how to build them in major and minor keys, and introduces inversions specific to seventh chords.

Seventh Chords: Construction

• Seventh chords are made by stacking an additional third on top of a triad, adding a note a seventh above the root.
• A major seventh chord uses the root, third, fifth, and seventh notes of the major scale.
• Example: C major seventh chord = C (root), E (third), G (fifth), B (seventh).
• A minor seventh chord uses the root, third, fifth, and seventh notes of the minor scale.
• Example: C minor seventh chord = C (root), E♭ (third), G (fifth), B♭ (seventh).

Inversions of Seventh Chords

• Seventh chords can be inverted, similar to triads.
• Seventh chords have an additional inversion: the third inversion, where the seventh becomes the lowest note.
• Example: C minor seventh chord in third inversion has B♭ (seventh) as the bass note and is written as C/B♭.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Triad — a chord consisting of the root, third, and fifth.
• Seventh chord — a chord made of four notes: root, third, fifth, and seventh.
• Major seventh chord — seventh chord using notes from the major scale.
• Minor seventh chord — seventh chord using notes from the minor scale.
• Inversion — rearranging the order of notes so a note other than the root is the lowest.
• Third inversion — inversion where the seventh is the lowest note.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Practice building major and minor seventh chords in different keys.
• Experiment with inverting seventh chords and naming each inversion.