Pop Music Theory


Lessons in Order

1-7 (Intro & Pitch) +
8-18 (Major Scale) +
19-29 (Chord Progressions) +
30-34 (Hook Chords) +
30: 7th Chords
35-41 (Written Notes) +
42-50 (Song Chorus) +

Lessons by Topic

Strategy +
Pitches +
Scales +
Written Notes +
Chords -
30: 7th Chords
Chord Progressions +
Melody +
Songwriting Steps +
Science +
Games & Tools +
Song Examples: Crazy +
Song Examples: Rolling Stone +

Detailed Contents

Lesson 30: 7th Chords

This lesson teaches 7th chords, an important set of chord types used in many songs.

Before taking this lesson, you should know:
You already know that a triad is a 3-note chord; the 3 notes in a triad are called the root, the 3rd, and the 5th. 7th chords have an additional note, called the "7th". So, the notes in a 7th chord are called:

Root 3rd 5th 7th

The 3rd, 5th, and/or 7th can all be raised or lowered by a half-step or two to make many different types of 7th chords. In this lesson, we'll just learn the 3 most common 7th-chord types:
  • Dominant 7th chord (chord symbol: just 7)
  • Major 7th chord (chord symbol: maj7)
  • Minor 7th chord (chord symbol: m7)

Let's start with the major-7th chord; it's not the most common 7th chord, but it's the easiest one to explain first. The major-7th chord consists of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of a major scale. Symbolically, its formula is:

Major 7th chord: 1 3 5 7 (degrees of a major scale)

Next, we have the dominant-7th chord, which is actually the most common 7th chord. The dominant-7th chord is just like the major-7th chord, except you lower the 7th a half-step. Thus, its formula is:

Dominant 7th chord: 1 3 5 ♭7

Finally, the formula for the minor-7th chord is:

Minor 7th chord: 1 ♭3 5 ♭7

Putting it all together, the formulas for these 3 chord types are:

Major 7th chord: 1357
Dominant 7th chord: 135♭7
Minor 7th chord: 1♭35♭7

Here are reference tables for the notes in these chords:

Major 7th Chords
Chord Symbol Root 3rd 5th 7th
A♭maj7 A♭CE♭ G
Amaj7 AC♯E G♯
B♭maj7 B♭DF A
Bmaj7 BD♯F♯ A♯
Cmaj7 CEGB
D♭maj7 D♭FA♭ C
Dmaj7 DF♯A C♯
E♭maj7 E♭GB♭ D
Emaj7 EG♯B D♯
Fmaj7 FACE
F♯maj7 F♯A♯ C♯E♯
G♭maj7 G♭B♭ D♭F
Gmaj7 GBD F♯

Dominant 7th Chords
Chord Symbol Root 3rd 5th 7th
A♭7 A♭CE♭ G♭
A7 AC♯E G
B♭7 B♭DF A♭
B7 BD♯F♯ A
C7 CEG B♭
C♯7 C♯E♯ G♯B
D♭7 D♭FA♭ C♭
D7 DF♯A C
E♭7 E♭GB♭ D♭
E7 EG♯B D
F7 FAC E♭
F♯7 F♯A♯ C♯E
G♭7 G♭B♭ D♭F♭
G7 GBDF

Minor 7th Chords
Chord Symbol Root 3rd 5th 7th
Am7 ACEG
B♭m7 B♭D♭F A♭
Bm7 BDF♯ A
Cm7 CE♭G B♭
C♯m7 C♯E G♯B
Dm7 DFAC
D♯m7 D♯F♯ A♯C♯
E♭m7 E♭G♭ B♭D♭
Em7 EGBD
Fm7 FA♭C E♭
F♯m7 F♯A C♯E
Gm7 GB♭D F
G♯m7 G♯B D♯F♯

When you understand how to construct these 7th chords, go on to Lesson 31: 7ths Games to practice and test yourself.


Lessons in Order

1-7 (Intro & Pitch) +
8-18 (Major Scale) +
19-29 (Chord Progressions) +
30-34 (Hook Chords) +
30: 7th Chords
35-41 (Written Notes) +
42-50 (Song Chorus) +

Lessons by Topic

Strategy +
Pitches +
Scales +
Written Notes +
Chords -
30: 7th Chords
Chord Progressions +
Melody +
Songwriting Steps +
Science +
Games & Tools +
Song Examples: Crazy +
Song Examples: Rolling Stone +

Detailed Contents

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