Study Guide
Week 4
[ Reading ] [ Textbook ] [ Review ] [ New Material ] [ What You Should Know ] [ Homework ]
Textbook
Review the reading and Practica Musica drills from last week.
Review
Last week we saw how to construct six different kinds of seventh chords:
quality
major seventh
dominant seventh
seven, suspended 4th
minor seventh
minor seventh, flat fifth
diminished seventh
example
chord
symbolC maj 7
C7
C7sus
Cm7
Cm7(b5)
Co7
textbook name
major seventh: major seventh, major triad
major-minor seventh: minor seventh, major triad
(book does not cover) minor 7th: minor seventh, minor triad
half-diminished 7th: minor seventh, diminished triad
diminished 7th: diminished seventh, diminished triad
degrees
7
7
-7
-7
-7
-7
--7
5
5
5
5
5
-5
-5
3
3
3
4 (replaces 3)
-3
-3
-3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
example
Practice identifying different types of seventh chords. When you're not sure what a chord is, always start from the major triad or major seventh chord and then see what has been or needs to be altered according to the formulae shown in the table above.
New Material
This week you should continue practicing constructing and identifying seventh chords. The best place to do this is in front of a keyboard. I've made a drill to identify the sound of the different types of triads and seventh chords (browse with Microsoft Internet Explorer)..
So far we've been playing triads on the piano using three fingers: thumb (1), middle finger (5), and little finger (5). Pianists need to learn how to play seventh chords with one hand, which is a bit of a stretch. For our theoretical purposes it is fine to use two hands, and has the advantage of maintaining the spacing in the fingers corresponding to the degrees of the scale. In the diagram below. Notice that there are two sets of numbering systems going on here. We continue to write the degrees of the scale to the right of the note heads, but now there are a set of numbers above the treble clef and below the bass clef. These are the fingerings you use to play the notes on the piano, with thumb being "1", index finger being "2", middle finger "3", and so on.
In the first measure you play the triad with the left hand. Then you find the seventh with the right hand (shown alone in the second measure). When you play the two hands together you have the complete seventh chord, shown in the last measure.
You should then continue and try all the various types listed in the table. The next seventh chord in the sequence would be C7:
The triad in the left hand stays the same, but now you have a lowered seventh (-7) with the right hand's thumb. Continue on with this process with the Csus7, Cm7, Cm7(b5), and C°7 chords.
What You Should Know
At the end of this week you should be able to:
construct and identify major 7, dominant 7, minor 7, minor 7 flat 5, and diminished 7 chords
Homework
See the homework assignment. Like every week, the homework will be due at the Friday of the following week, in other words, NEXT FRIDAY. The homework assignment is summarized on the class schedule, but the assignment page is the final authority and goes into greater detail.
©2001 Robert Willey
