Minor seventh chord

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In music, a minor seventh chord is any nondominant seventh chord where the "third" note is a minor third above the root.

Most typically, minor seventh chord refers to where the "seventh" note is a minor seventh above the root (a fifth above the third note). This is more precisely known as a minor/minor seventh chord, and it can be represented as either as m⁷ or -⁷, or in integer notation, {0, 3, 7, 10}. In a natural minor scale, this chord is on the tonic, subdominant, and dominant degrees. In a harmonic minor scale, this chord is on the subdominant degrees. In an ascending melodic minor scale, this chord is on the supertonic degree. In a major scale, this chord is on the second (supertonic seventh), third (mediant) or sixth (submediant) degrees. For instance the ii⁷ in the ii-V-I turnaround.

Example of tonic minor seventh chords include LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade", Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song", The Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Runnin'", Chic's "Le Freak", Lipps Inc.'s "Funkytown", and the Eagles' "One Of These Nights".

When the seventh note is a major seventh above the root, it is called a minor/major seventh chord. Its harmonic function is similar to that of a "normal" minor seventh, as is the minor seven flat five or half-diminished chord - but in each case, the altered tone (seventh or fifth, respectively) creates a different feeling which is exploited in modulations and to use leading-tones.

Video Minor seventh chord

Minor seventh as virtual augmented sixth chord

The minor seventh chord may also have its interval of minor seventh (between root and seventh degree, i.e.: C-B? in C-E?-G-B?) rewritten as an augmented sixth C-E?-G-A?. Rearranging and transposing, this gives { A? C? E? F? }, a virtual minor version of the German augmented sixth chord. Again like the typical augmented sixth, this enharmonic interpretation gives on a resolution irregular for the minor seventh but normal for the augmented sixth chord, where the 2 voices at the enharmonic major second converge to unison or diverge to octave.

Maps Minor seventh chord