10.4: Hearing Seventh Chords
- Page ID
- 258528
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Adding a fourth note to a sonority increases the complexity. We have seen that there are more combinations of intervals available and this creates additional quality combinations.
When we increase the number of notes in the chord, we have more inversions we might hear.
In this chapter, we have covered:
- Dominant seventh chords
- Major seventh chords
- Minor seventh chords
- Diminished seventh chords
- Half-diminished seventh chords
Each of these chords has four different forms: root position, first inversion, second inversion, and third inversion.
The best way to be able to hear these chords is to be familiar with the theory behind them and also put into your own words how each chord sounds to you. Have conversations with peers in your class. Talk through the personality of each chord, but create your own descriptions.
All of these seventh chords in root position have been gathered as a playlist on YouTube (opens in a new window).

Internalizing
Use this space to brainstorm your own thoughts and ideas about the sound of each of these seventh chords.
Dominant Seventh Chord
- Root Position
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- First Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Second Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Third Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
Major Seventh Chord
- Root Position
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- First Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Second Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Third Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
Minor Seventh Chord
- Root Position
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- First Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Second Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Third Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
Diminished Seventh Chord
- Root Position
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- First Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Second Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Third Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
Half-Diminished Seventh Chord
- Root Position
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- First Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Second Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is
- Third Inversion
- What stands out to me is
- What comes to mind when I hear this chord is


