ChordMeloMelody Generator

Seventh chords — adding colour

A seventh chord is a triad with one more note added. The sound gets richer and more grown-up.

Chapter 10All chapters

Stack one more note on a triad and the sound gains colour. The difference between a song that sounds sophisticated and one that sounds plain is usually right here.

Every chord so far has had three notes. Keep the same skip-one rule and add one more, and you have a four-note chord — a seventh chord.

  • CC (triad)
  • Cmaj7Cmaj7 — soft, floating
  • C7C7 — unsettled, wants to move on
One more note added to C. The pitch you add completely changes the character.Buttons and keys in the diagrams play sound. Check your volume first.

Both add a note, but Cmaj7 adds B and C7 adds B♭. One semitone apart, and yet Cmaj7 floats calmly while C7 sounds like it needs to go somewhere. Blues and rock are built on the C7 side.

In plain wordsSeventh chord

A four-note chord: a triad plus one more stacked note. "maj7" is soft and floating; plain "7" pulls towards the next chord.

Put sevenths on a ii-V-I

The ii-V-I progression, everywhere in jazz and city pop, with and without sevenths. The chord positions are identical — only the added note differs.

  • Triads only (Dm, G, C)

    Dm | G | C | C

  • With sevenths (Dm7, G7, Cmaj7)

    Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | Cmaj7

The same ii-V-I, first as plain triads and then with sevenths.Buttons and keys in the diagrams play sound. Check your volume first.

Sevenths make the joins between chords smoother. The V chord in particular — G7 here — pulls hard towards the I that follows, so the landing is unmistakable.

Generate over the ii-V-I with sevenths. More available notes means the melody's mood shifts too.

Generate over Dm7, G7, Cmaj7
The one thing to remember

A seventh is one extra note. Adding it removes some of the settled feeling and creates a pull towards the next chord.