CH 6- Chords Part 2

Chords in Scales

  • When you create triads from a scale and only use those notes, you are using diatonic harmony

The order of Triads

  • Triads in Major scale/key progress as: Major, minor, minor, major, major, minor and diminished

Roman numerals

  • System of naming chords relative to the note of the scale from which they are built

  • Triads can be referred to by a number and/or roman numeral

  • Degree symbol indicates diminished chords

  • Limitation: No way to convey if a chord is major or minor by using 1, 2, or 3

    • Uppercase roman numeral for major chords

    • lowercase roman numerals for minor chords

Seventh Chords

  • Harmony in thirds is called tertian harmony which is common practice today

Diatonic Seventh Chords

  • Diatonic- “From the key”

  • Seventh chords are a triad with another third placed on top

  • 4 Different types of seventh chords: Major seventh, minor seventh, dominant seventh, and half diminished seventh

Seventh Chord Construction

  • A Seventh chord is a triad with added seventh added from the root

  • Gives us at least eight seventh (Four possible triads and two sevenths); one more that breaks rules

Major Triads with Sevenths

  • Only two possibilities: Major triad with major or minor seventh on to

1. Major/Major Seventh: Major triad with major seventh added

  • Major seventh found on first (tonic) and fourth (subdominant) of a harmonized major scale

  • Formula: 1, 3, 5, 7

  • Ex. Dmaj7

2.Major/Minor Seventh: Major triad with minor seventh added

  • Chord occurs only on fifth scale degree (dominant degree)

  • Formula: 1, 3, 5, b7

  • Ex. G7/ G Dominant 7

***It is hard to have harmony without dominant (V) Chords

Minor Triads with sevenths

  • Two varieties of minor triads with sevenths

1.Minor/Minor Seventh: Minor triad with added major seventh

  • Found on second, third, and sixth scale degrees of harmonized major scale

  • Form minor seventh by taking first, third, fifth, and seventh notes from pure minor scale (aeolian)

  • Related to major scale, its formula would be 1, b3, 5, b7

  • Ex. Cm7/C-7

2.Minor/Major Seventh: Minor chord with added major seventh

  • First unnatural seventh chord- not formed in the diatonic major or minor scales- gives us very unusual/ unnatural sound

  • Formula: 1, b3, 5, 7 (From major scale)

  • Ex. Cm(maj7)

Diminished Triads with sevenths

  • When naming diminished chords, start with diatonic diminished seventh chords, built from leading tone of major scale

1.Diminished/ Minor Seventh: Diminished chord with added minor seventh

  • Chord is called a half-diminished chord

  • Formula: 1, b3, b5, b7 (from major scale)

  • Ex. Bdim add A

2.Diminished/Diminished Seventh: Diminished chord with added diminished 7th

  • Formula: 1, b3, b5, bb7 (from major scale)

  • Fully diminished seventh chords dont occur in major or minor scales naturally

    • result of stacking minor third intervals

  • Chord can be derived from harmonizing the harmonic minor scale at the leading tone

  • Ex. Bdim add Ab

Half/Whole diminished

  • The diminished triad is a symmetric chord that uses all minor third intervals

  • When spelling a dim7th chord, you can use all minor thirds again (B-D-F-Ab)

  • A half diminished chord (B-D-F-A) has a major third between the fifth and seventh

    • Not fully diminished because it loses the pattern of all minor thirds

  • Most modern music uses min7b5 instead of the half diminished symbol

Augmented Triads with Sevenths

1. Augmented major seventh: Augmented triad with added major seventh

  • Augmented major seventh chord

  • G+(maj 7) or Gaug(maj7)

  • Formula: 1, 3, #5, 7 (from major scale)

  • Ex. Gmaj7#5

2.Augmented minor seventh: Augmented chord with added minor seventh

  • G+7,Gaug7, or G7#5

  • The Augmented raised fifth is seen as an alteration

  • Formula: 1, 3, #5, b7 (from major scale)

RECAP/ SUMMARY

  1. Major Seventh

    1. Cmaj7= 1,3,5,7

  2. Dominant Seventh

    1. C7= 1, 3, 5, b7

  3. Minor Seventh

    1. Cmin7= 1, b3, 5, b7

  4. Minor/Major Seventh

    1. Cmin(maj7)=1,b3,5.7

  5. Half-diminished seventh

    1. Chalfdim7= 1,b3,b5,7

  6. Fully diminished seventh

    1. Cdim7= 1,b3,b5,bb7

  7. Augmented Major Seventh

    1. C+(Maj7)= 1,3,#5,7

  8. Augmented Seventh

    1. C+7= 1,3,#5,b7