The Baroque and Renaissance periods were when the use of the seventh chords date back to. In those periods, there were composers like the Italian Claudio Monteverdi who would utilize them in the cadences. The utilization of the seventh chords was considered completely unorthodox as well as dissonant because they did not fit with the traditional methods of composing. Get the examples of major seventh chords.
Today you will most likely struggle a lot in order to find a proper radio station playing that music which does not feature the seventh chords.
Read also: Ultimate Guide to Jazz Theory
Difference between Dominant and Diminished 7th Chords
Dominant Seventh Chord
The staples of Blues and Jazz music are the dominant seventh chords. They are however also very well featured in the other genres such as Latin, Bluegrass and also Pop. The dominant seventh chords also have a unique energy about themselves combined effectively with a tension that is highly created by a tritone within them. You obviously add a minor seventh to the root of a major triad or the major minor seventh chord. Look up minor seventh chord.
There, in the key of C, in the root position, the chord would obviously consist of C, E. G and even B flat. You shall very often see it written on sheet music and the lead sheets such as C7 for this particular chord. Occasionally, this is Cdom7.
The dominant seventh chords are known to be utilized quite extensively in Blues music. The example from Blues music could be Boogie Woogie piano in particular. To the dominant sevenths in blues, there can be a great introduction. You could take a look at the Bouncie Boogie lesson on the internet. Look up seventh chords piano.
Diminished Seventh Chord
Well, the diminished seventh chords are never as common in contemporary music. You will be able to find them a lot in the music from the very classical and very romantic eras. Also, you will find them in the various film scores as they are highly fantastic at recreating a sense of trepidation, tension and doom. In order to create a diminished seventh chord, you always need to add a diminished seventh. This needs to be added well above the root of a diminished triad. Look up 7th chords piano.
There is the key of C in root position where the mere chord is likely to consist of C, E flat, G flat, and B double flat. You should often see it written on sheet music and the lead sheets CO7 or Cdim7 for this particular chord symbol.
Augmented seventh chord
The augmented seventh chords are very commonly featured in jazz, you know. Look up how to play 7th chords on piano.The augmented seventh chords particularly are well utilized as substitutes for the dominant sevenths. You are very much required to add a minor seventh above the root of an augmented triad in order to create an augmented seventh chord. The chord would very much consist of C, E, G sharp, and B flat in the key of C, in root position.
You will often see it written on sheet music and lead sheets Caug7 or the C7 for this particular chord.
Seventh chord inversions
Look up the dominant 7th chord piano. It is now time to rediscover what the seventh chords sound like in the different inversions. The inversions do open up a huge world of possibilities in order to voice the seventh chords.
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