Minor Seventh Chord

In music, a minor seventh chord is a seventh chord composed of a root note, a minor third, a perfect fifth, and a minor seventh (1, 3, 5, 7). In other words, one could think of it as a minor triad with a minor seventh attached to it.
For example, the minor seventh chord built on A, commonly written as A−⁷, has pitches A-C-E-G:

:

Minor/minor seventh chord

A seventh chord with a minor third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh is commonly called a minor seventh chord, but also sometimes a minor/minor seventh chord to distinguish it from the minor/major seventh chord discussed below. It can be represented as either as m⁷ or −⁷, or in integer notation, .

This chord occurs on different scale degrees in different diatonic scales:

* In a major scale, it is on the supertonic, mediant, and submediant degrees (, , and ). This is why the ii in a ii–V–I turnaround is a minor seventh chord (ii⁷).

* In a natural minor scale, it is on the tonic, subdominant, and dominant degrees (, , and ).Benward & Saker (2003). ''Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. I'', p.230. Seventh Edition. .
* In a harmonic minor scale, it is only on the subdominant degree ().
* In an ascending melodic minor scale, it is only on the supertonic degree ().

Example of tonic minor seventh chords include LaBelle's " Lady Marmalade", Roberta Flack's " Killing Me Softly with His Song", The Doobie Brothers' " Long Train Runnin'", Chic's " Le Freak", Lipps Inc.'s " Funkytown", and the Eagles' " One Of These Nights".Stephenson, Ken (2002). ''What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis'', p.83. .

The major sixth chord (major triad with an added major sixth) is an inversion of this chord.

Minor/major seventh chord

When the seventh note is a major seventh above the root, it is called a minor/major seventh chord. For example, the minor/major seventh chord built on C, commonly written as Cm^M7, has pitches C–E–G–B:

:

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 augmented sixth 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. Rearranging and transposing, this gives A–C–E–F, a virtual minor version of the German augmented sixth chord. Again like the typical augmented sixth, 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.

Minor seventh chord table

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The just minor seventh chord is tuned in the ratios 10:12:15:18. This may be found on iii, vi, and vii. Another tuning may be in the ratios 48:40:32:27.

Minor seventh chords for guitar

In standard tuning, the left is the low E string, the number is the fret, and x means mute the string.

* Am⁷: x02010
* Bm⁷: xx7777
* Cm⁷: xx1313
* Dm⁷: xx0211
* Em⁷: xx0987
* Fm⁷: xx1111
* Gm⁷: xx3333

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minor Seventh Chord
Seventh chords

ca:Acord de sèptima#Acord de sèptima menor