Chord reference
Dominant seventh
1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 · example: C7 = C – E – G – B♭
A major triad with a minor seventh. The tritone between its third and seventh is what pulls it home.
Written as a formula it is 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7: the degrees of the major scale it keeps, with any that are altered marked. On C that gives C7 = C, E, G, B♭.
How it is built
- B♭minor
- Gthird
- Emajor
- Croot
The intervals above the root
| Chord tone | Interval above the root | Semitones | Note in C7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perfect unison | 0 | C |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | B♭ |
Inversions
The same notes can be stacked in any vertical order. The chord keeps its name; what changes is which note is in the bass. See chord inversions for why that matters.
| Position | Notes | Written as |
|---|---|---|
| Root position | C – E – G – B♭ | C7 |
| First inversion | E – G – B♭ – C | C7/E |
| Second inversion | G – B♭ – C – E | C7/G |
| Third inversion | B♭ – C – E – G | C7/B♭ |
This chord on every root
| Root | Symbol | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C | C7 | C – E – G – B♭ |
| D♭ | D♭7 | D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭ |
| D | D7 | D – F♯ – A – C |
| E♭ | E♭7 | E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ |
| E | E7 | E – G♯ – B – D |
| F | F7 | F – A – C – E♭ |
| F♯ | F♯7 | F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – E |
| G | G7 | G – B – D – F |
| A♭ | A♭7 | A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ |
| A | A7 | A – C♯ – E – G |
| B♭ | B♭7 | B♭ – D – F – A♭ |
| B | B7 | B – D♯ – F♯ – A |