Determining the seventh chords of a key











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I know that every key has a set of 7 chords by taking each note of the scale as a root. I also know that the pattern for naming these chords go as follows: Major, minor, minor,major,major,minor and diminished.



Apart from these chords, can someone please explain how one arrives at the seventh chords? When googling, for example, chords in key of D major, I see the 1 chord as Dmaj, Dmaj7... and so on. Can someone explain how these 7th chords fit? Also, why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7 (unlike Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7)? And also why/how is the vii° is C#m7b5?










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  • Just add another 3rd from the scale
    – ggcg
    Dec 12 at 17:35















up vote
4
down vote

favorite












I know that every key has a set of 7 chords by taking each note of the scale as a root. I also know that the pattern for naming these chords go as follows: Major, minor, minor,major,major,minor and diminished.



Apart from these chords, can someone please explain how one arrives at the seventh chords? When googling, for example, chords in key of D major, I see the 1 chord as Dmaj, Dmaj7... and so on. Can someone explain how these 7th chords fit? Also, why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7 (unlike Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7)? And also why/how is the vii° is C#m7b5?










share|improve this question
























  • Just add another 3rd from the scale
    – ggcg
    Dec 12 at 17:35













up vote
4
down vote

favorite









up vote
4
down vote

favorite











I know that every key has a set of 7 chords by taking each note of the scale as a root. I also know that the pattern for naming these chords go as follows: Major, minor, minor,major,major,minor and diminished.



Apart from these chords, can someone please explain how one arrives at the seventh chords? When googling, for example, chords in key of D major, I see the 1 chord as Dmaj, Dmaj7... and so on. Can someone explain how these 7th chords fit? Also, why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7 (unlike Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7)? And also why/how is the vii° is C#m7b5?










share|improve this question















I know that every key has a set of 7 chords by taking each note of the scale as a root. I also know that the pattern for naming these chords go as follows: Major, minor, minor,major,major,minor and diminished.



Apart from these chords, can someone please explain how one arrives at the seventh chords? When googling, for example, chords in key of D major, I see the 1 chord as Dmaj, Dmaj7... and so on. Can someone explain how these 7th chords fit? Also, why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7 (unlike Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7)? And also why/how is the vii° is C#m7b5?







theory chords chord-theory key






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edited Dec 12 at 20:37









Richard

36.3k677155




36.3k677155










asked Dec 12 at 16:43









noorav

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493












  • Just add another 3rd from the scale
    – ggcg
    Dec 12 at 17:35


















  • Just add another 3rd from the scale
    – ggcg
    Dec 12 at 17:35
















Just add another 3rd from the scale
– ggcg
Dec 12 at 17:35




Just add another 3rd from the scale
– ggcg
Dec 12 at 17:35










3 Answers
3






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up vote
8
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You're referencing what we call the diatonic seventh chords. What we mean by "diatonic" is that these are the seventh chords that are created by using only the pitches in the prevailing key (and thus no chromatic tones).



As such, to determine any diatonic seventh chord, you simply take the root and find the third, fifth, and seventh above that note. But when you do so, make sure you use the pitches that are in the given key (in this case, D major).



So if D is your root, the remaining tones will be F♯ (the third), A (the fifth), and C♯ (the seventh). The F and C both have sharps because those are the versions of F and C that are in D major. When we take this four pitches, we see that this creates a major-seventh chord, and thus the chord is Dmaj7.



Contrast this with the seventh chord built on A. Here you have C♯ (the third), E (the fifth), and G. You were expecting it to be Amaj7, but that would require a G♯. But since there's no G♯ in the key of D major, this chord must use G♮ instead, and thus it's an A7 chord and not an Amaj7.



And the same is true for the C♯ chord: C♯ E G B results in the C♯m7♭5, also known as C♯ø7.






share|improve this answer




























    up vote
    1
    down vote













    This is probably a dupe question, but it's simply 1,3,5, then 7, diatonically. In D, specifically, the V chord is A7 - A C# E G, and the seventh out of the list is C#m7b5 because it contains C#, E, G and B. The C# E and B giving C#m7, but because of the G, not G#, which isn't in key D, it becomes flat 5.






    share|improve this answer




























      up vote
      0
      down vote













      "why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7"



      Because it has a natural G, not a G#. That makes the seventh of the chord a minor seventh, not a major seventh, so, it can't be a major seventh chord.



      Yet it has a C#, not a natural C. That makes the third of the chord a major third, not a minor third, so, it can't be a minor 7th chord either.



      It's neither maj7 nor m7. It's the dominant 7th chord in the key of D. Dominant has arguably the single most important harmonic functionality in a key, and it's neither major nor minor.



      Any 7th chord without additional identification as major or minor or something else (aug, dim, or weirder stuff) is nearly universally understood to mean a dominant 7th chord. It's normally created from the 5th scale degree in a major key.



      That's not the only place dominant 7th chords are found, but other dominant 7th chords are either constructed chromatically (not diatonic to a key), or else modal constructs - for example, the tonic 7th chord in Mixolydian mode is this type of 7th chord (major 3rd, minor 7th). It's constructed the same way as a dominant 7th chord but in that mode it doesn't have the harmonic function of the dominant. This is beyond the scope of your question though.



      Short answer: A7 is neither a major-7 nor minor-7 chord. It's the chord built from the 5th scale degree of the key of D major, adding the diatonic notes in that key a 3rd, a 5th and a 7th above that root (A).






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        3 Answers
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        3 Answers
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        up vote
        8
        down vote













        You're referencing what we call the diatonic seventh chords. What we mean by "diatonic" is that these are the seventh chords that are created by using only the pitches in the prevailing key (and thus no chromatic tones).



        As such, to determine any diatonic seventh chord, you simply take the root and find the third, fifth, and seventh above that note. But when you do so, make sure you use the pitches that are in the given key (in this case, D major).



        So if D is your root, the remaining tones will be F♯ (the third), A (the fifth), and C♯ (the seventh). The F and C both have sharps because those are the versions of F and C that are in D major. When we take this four pitches, we see that this creates a major-seventh chord, and thus the chord is Dmaj7.



        Contrast this with the seventh chord built on A. Here you have C♯ (the third), E (the fifth), and G. You were expecting it to be Amaj7, but that would require a G♯. But since there's no G♯ in the key of D major, this chord must use G♮ instead, and thus it's an A7 chord and not an Amaj7.



        And the same is true for the C♯ chord: C♯ E G B results in the C♯m7♭5, also known as C♯ø7.






        share|improve this answer

























          up vote
          8
          down vote













          You're referencing what we call the diatonic seventh chords. What we mean by "diatonic" is that these are the seventh chords that are created by using only the pitches in the prevailing key (and thus no chromatic tones).



          As such, to determine any diatonic seventh chord, you simply take the root and find the third, fifth, and seventh above that note. But when you do so, make sure you use the pitches that are in the given key (in this case, D major).



          So if D is your root, the remaining tones will be F♯ (the third), A (the fifth), and C♯ (the seventh). The F and C both have sharps because those are the versions of F and C that are in D major. When we take this four pitches, we see that this creates a major-seventh chord, and thus the chord is Dmaj7.



          Contrast this with the seventh chord built on A. Here you have C♯ (the third), E (the fifth), and G. You were expecting it to be Amaj7, but that would require a G♯. But since there's no G♯ in the key of D major, this chord must use G♮ instead, and thus it's an A7 chord and not an Amaj7.



          And the same is true for the C♯ chord: C♯ E G B results in the C♯m7♭5, also known as C♯ø7.






          share|improve this answer























            up vote
            8
            down vote










            up vote
            8
            down vote









            You're referencing what we call the diatonic seventh chords. What we mean by "diatonic" is that these are the seventh chords that are created by using only the pitches in the prevailing key (and thus no chromatic tones).



            As such, to determine any diatonic seventh chord, you simply take the root and find the third, fifth, and seventh above that note. But when you do so, make sure you use the pitches that are in the given key (in this case, D major).



            So if D is your root, the remaining tones will be F♯ (the third), A (the fifth), and C♯ (the seventh). The F and C both have sharps because those are the versions of F and C that are in D major. When we take this four pitches, we see that this creates a major-seventh chord, and thus the chord is Dmaj7.



            Contrast this with the seventh chord built on A. Here you have C♯ (the third), E (the fifth), and G. You were expecting it to be Amaj7, but that would require a G♯. But since there's no G♯ in the key of D major, this chord must use G♮ instead, and thus it's an A7 chord and not an Amaj7.



            And the same is true for the C♯ chord: C♯ E G B results in the C♯m7♭5, also known as C♯ø7.






            share|improve this answer












            You're referencing what we call the diatonic seventh chords. What we mean by "diatonic" is that these are the seventh chords that are created by using only the pitches in the prevailing key (and thus no chromatic tones).



            As such, to determine any diatonic seventh chord, you simply take the root and find the third, fifth, and seventh above that note. But when you do so, make sure you use the pitches that are in the given key (in this case, D major).



            So if D is your root, the remaining tones will be F♯ (the third), A (the fifth), and C♯ (the seventh). The F and C both have sharps because those are the versions of F and C that are in D major. When we take this four pitches, we see that this creates a major-seventh chord, and thus the chord is Dmaj7.



            Contrast this with the seventh chord built on A. Here you have C♯ (the third), E (the fifth), and G. You were expecting it to be Amaj7, but that would require a G♯. But since there's no G♯ in the key of D major, this chord must use G♮ instead, and thus it's an A7 chord and not an Amaj7.



            And the same is true for the C♯ chord: C♯ E G B results in the C♯m7♭5, also known as C♯ø7.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Dec 12 at 16:53









            Richard

            36.3k677155




            36.3k677155






















                up vote
                1
                down vote













                This is probably a dupe question, but it's simply 1,3,5, then 7, diatonically. In D, specifically, the V chord is A7 - A C# E G, and the seventh out of the list is C#m7b5 because it contains C#, E, G and B. The C# E and B giving C#m7, but because of the G, not G#, which isn't in key D, it becomes flat 5.






                share|improve this answer

























                  up vote
                  1
                  down vote













                  This is probably a dupe question, but it's simply 1,3,5, then 7, diatonically. In D, specifically, the V chord is A7 - A C# E G, and the seventh out of the list is C#m7b5 because it contains C#, E, G and B. The C# E and B giving C#m7, but because of the G, not G#, which isn't in key D, it becomes flat 5.






                  share|improve this answer























                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote










                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote









                    This is probably a dupe question, but it's simply 1,3,5, then 7, diatonically. In D, specifically, the V chord is A7 - A C# E G, and the seventh out of the list is C#m7b5 because it contains C#, E, G and B. The C# E and B giving C#m7, but because of the G, not G#, which isn't in key D, it becomes flat 5.






                    share|improve this answer












                    This is probably a dupe question, but it's simply 1,3,5, then 7, diatonically. In D, specifically, the V chord is A7 - A C# E G, and the seventh out of the list is C#m7b5 because it contains C#, E, G and B. The C# E and B giving C#m7, but because of the G, not G#, which isn't in key D, it becomes flat 5.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered Dec 12 at 16:56









                    Tim

                    95.1k1097240




                    95.1k1097240






















                        up vote
                        0
                        down vote













                        "why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7"



                        Because it has a natural G, not a G#. That makes the seventh of the chord a minor seventh, not a major seventh, so, it can't be a major seventh chord.



                        Yet it has a C#, not a natural C. That makes the third of the chord a major third, not a minor third, so, it can't be a minor 7th chord either.



                        It's neither maj7 nor m7. It's the dominant 7th chord in the key of D. Dominant has arguably the single most important harmonic functionality in a key, and it's neither major nor minor.



                        Any 7th chord without additional identification as major or minor or something else (aug, dim, or weirder stuff) is nearly universally understood to mean a dominant 7th chord. It's normally created from the 5th scale degree in a major key.



                        That's not the only place dominant 7th chords are found, but other dominant 7th chords are either constructed chromatically (not diatonic to a key), or else modal constructs - for example, the tonic 7th chord in Mixolydian mode is this type of 7th chord (major 3rd, minor 7th). It's constructed the same way as a dominant 7th chord but in that mode it doesn't have the harmonic function of the dominant. This is beyond the scope of your question though.



                        Short answer: A7 is neither a major-7 nor minor-7 chord. It's the chord built from the 5th scale degree of the key of D major, adding the diatonic notes in that key a 3rd, a 5th and a 7th above that root (A).






                        share|improve this answer

























                          up vote
                          0
                          down vote













                          "why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7"



                          Because it has a natural G, not a G#. That makes the seventh of the chord a minor seventh, not a major seventh, so, it can't be a major seventh chord.



                          Yet it has a C#, not a natural C. That makes the third of the chord a major third, not a minor third, so, it can't be a minor 7th chord either.



                          It's neither maj7 nor m7. It's the dominant 7th chord in the key of D. Dominant has arguably the single most important harmonic functionality in a key, and it's neither major nor minor.



                          Any 7th chord without additional identification as major or minor or something else (aug, dim, or weirder stuff) is nearly universally understood to mean a dominant 7th chord. It's normally created from the 5th scale degree in a major key.



                          That's not the only place dominant 7th chords are found, but other dominant 7th chords are either constructed chromatically (not diatonic to a key), or else modal constructs - for example, the tonic 7th chord in Mixolydian mode is this type of 7th chord (major 3rd, minor 7th). It's constructed the same way as a dominant 7th chord but in that mode it doesn't have the harmonic function of the dominant. This is beyond the scope of your question though.



                          Short answer: A7 is neither a major-7 nor minor-7 chord. It's the chord built from the 5th scale degree of the key of D major, adding the diatonic notes in that key a 3rd, a 5th and a 7th above that root (A).






                          share|improve this answer























                            up vote
                            0
                            down vote










                            up vote
                            0
                            down vote









                            "why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7"



                            Because it has a natural G, not a G#. That makes the seventh of the chord a minor seventh, not a major seventh, so, it can't be a major seventh chord.



                            Yet it has a C#, not a natural C. That makes the third of the chord a major third, not a minor third, so, it can't be a minor 7th chord either.



                            It's neither maj7 nor m7. It's the dominant 7th chord in the key of D. Dominant has arguably the single most important harmonic functionality in a key, and it's neither major nor minor.



                            Any 7th chord without additional identification as major or minor or something else (aug, dim, or weirder stuff) is nearly universally understood to mean a dominant 7th chord. It's normally created from the 5th scale degree in a major key.



                            That's not the only place dominant 7th chords are found, but other dominant 7th chords are either constructed chromatically (not diatonic to a key), or else modal constructs - for example, the tonic 7th chord in Mixolydian mode is this type of 7th chord (major 3rd, minor 7th). It's constructed the same way as a dominant 7th chord but in that mode it doesn't have the harmonic function of the dominant. This is beyond the scope of your question though.



                            Short answer: A7 is neither a major-7 nor minor-7 chord. It's the chord built from the 5th scale degree of the key of D major, adding the diatonic notes in that key a 3rd, a 5th and a 7th above that root (A).






                            share|improve this answer












                            "why is the v chord not an Amaj7 but an A7"



                            Because it has a natural G, not a G#. That makes the seventh of the chord a minor seventh, not a major seventh, so, it can't be a major seventh chord.



                            Yet it has a C#, not a natural C. That makes the third of the chord a major third, not a minor third, so, it can't be a minor 7th chord either.



                            It's neither maj7 nor m7. It's the dominant 7th chord in the key of D. Dominant has arguably the single most important harmonic functionality in a key, and it's neither major nor minor.



                            Any 7th chord without additional identification as major or minor or something else (aug, dim, or weirder stuff) is nearly universally understood to mean a dominant 7th chord. It's normally created from the 5th scale degree in a major key.



                            That's not the only place dominant 7th chords are found, but other dominant 7th chords are either constructed chromatically (not diatonic to a key), or else modal constructs - for example, the tonic 7th chord in Mixolydian mode is this type of 7th chord (major 3rd, minor 7th). It's constructed the same way as a dominant 7th chord but in that mode it doesn't have the harmonic function of the dominant. This is beyond the scope of your question though.



                            Short answer: A7 is neither a major-7 nor minor-7 chord. It's the chord built from the 5th scale degree of the key of D major, adding the diatonic notes in that key a 3rd, a 5th and a 7th above that root (A).







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered Dec 12 at 21:50









                            Beanluc

                            1974




                            1974






























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