Minor Seventh Chord
A minor triad with a flattened seventh on top: C, E flat, G and B flat. The seventh takes the edge off the minor third, and what is left is soft enough to sit on for four minutes without wearing out.
- 4 notes
- 1 b3 5 b7
- soft
which styles use it
- Deep house
- Soul & R&B
- Jazz
- Neo-soul
Which notes are in a minor seventh chord?
A minor triad with a fourth note ten half steps above the root. In C: C, E flat, G and B flat.
- C, the root
- E flat, the minor third
- G, the fifth
- B flat, the minor seventh
Why can you stay on it for so long?
Because nothing in it is in a hurry. A flattened seventh leans downward, but gently, and there is no tritone anywhere in the chord to force the issue. Compare that to a dominant seventh, where the third and the seventh sit six half steps apart and push the music along whether you want it or not.
So m7 is the chord you loop. Put a drone under a Cm7 and you can play over it all day, which is exactly what deep house, soul and modal jazz do with it.
Where do you find it in a key?
Three of the seven four note chords in a major key are minor sevenths: the second, third and sixth degree. In C those are Dm7, Em7 and Am7.
The second degree is the one that does the most work, because it is the chord that sets up the dominant. Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 is the ii V I, and it is the most common three chord move in jazz by a wide margin.
Which minor seventh do you actually want?
Four chords with a minor triad at the bottom, and each one changes the note on top.
- Cm7 (C Eb G Bb) - Neutral and warm. Loops forever, points nowhere.
- Cm6 (C Eb G A) - The sixth lifts the gloom without touching the minor third. A minor chord that has come to rest.
- CmMaj7 (C Eb G B) - The bright seventh under a dark third. Unsettled on purpose, and the sound of a hundred film scores.
- Cm7b5 (C Eb Gb Bb) - The fifth drops as well, so the chord starts leaning. This one is on its way somewhere.
How do you name one by ear?
Sing the root, then sing the top note of the chord. Land a half step under your own octave and it is a major seventh, so the chord is maj7, mMaj7 or maj7 sharp 5. Land a whole step under it and it is a flattened seventh, so you are in the 7, m7, m7b5 or 7 sharp 5 family. Work out whether the triad underneath is major or minor and you have the chord.
Common mistakes
- Using it where a dominant belongs
A m7 on the fifth degree has no tritone and no pull. It is a colour, not a signpost.
- Forgetting the bass decides
C, E flat, G and B flat are also the notes of E flat 6. Which chord a listener hears depends on which note is at the bottom, not on how you spell it.