Intervals
Minor Seventh
7m · 10 semitones
Ten semitones — mildly dissonant, endlessly useful, and the defining note of the dominant seventh chord.
Also written m7 · 7m
Minor Seventh
7m · 10 semitones
On the piano, from every note
| From | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| C | C – Bb | |
| C# | C# – B | |
| D | D – C | |
| Eb | Eb – Db | |
| E | E – D | |
| F | F – Eb | |
| F# | F# – E | |
| G | G – F | |
| Ab | Ab – Gb | |
| A | A – G | |
| Bb | Bb – Ab | |
| B | B – A |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Read on: number and quality · inversion · consonance and dissonance
Every seventh
A seventh can take these qualities, one semitone apart; choose one to see the upper note move and hear the pair.
Hear it in music
Songs that open with Minor Seventh: the first two notes of each are the interval, which is how most players learn to recognise it.
Somewhere (West Side Story)Leonard Bernstein
The opening leap is a minor seventh.
The Winner Takes It AllABBA
The chorus melody leaps a minor seventh.
Star Trek (Original Theme)Alexander Courage
The opening interval.
Chords built with it
C7C · E · G · Bb
Cm7C · Eb · G · Bb
Cm7b5C · Eb · Gb · Bb
C7sus4C · F · G · Bb
C9C · E · G · Bb · D
Cm9C · Eb · G · Bb · D
C11C · G · Bb · D · F
Cm11C · Eb · G · Bb · D · F
C13C · E · G · Bb · D · A
Cm13C · Eb · G · Bb · D · A
C7b9C · E · G · Bb · Db
C7#9C · E · G · Bb · D#
C7#5C · E · G# · Bb
Calt7C · E · Bb · Db
Scales that contain it
C MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
C DorianC · D · Eb · F · G · A · Bb
C PhrygianC · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
C MixolydianC · D · E · F · G · A · Bb
C LocrianC · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb
C Minor PentatonicC · Eb · F · G · Bb
C Minor BluesC · Eb · F · Gb · G · Bb
C ChromaticC · Db · D · Eb · E · F · Gb · G · Ab · A · Bb · B
C AlteredC · Db · D# · E · F# · Ab · Bb
C Phrygian DominantC · Db · E · F · G · Ab · Bb
C Lydian DominantC · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb
C Half-Whole DiminishedC · Db · Eb · E · F# · G · A · Bb
In C major
- D–C
- E–D
- G–F
- A–G
- B–A
Understanding Minor Seventh
Names and symbols
Minor Seventh is written m7, 7m: the letter is the quality, the number the size. Chord formulas on this site write the number first, as tonal does.
Seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths come in major and minor, a semitone apart, and can be widened to augmented or narrowed to diminished. Inverting one swaps the quality: a major third becomes a minor sixth, a minor second a major seventh.
How it sounds
A minor seventh spans 10 semitones: C – Bb. It is a dissonance, but a soft one — enough tension to want to move, not enough to sound harsh sitting still.
That balance is why it is the workhorse of jazz and soul harmony. A m7 chord is stable enough to rest on and coloured enough to stay interesting.
How composers use it
Added to a major triad it makes the dominant seventh, and the tritone between that seventh and the chord third is what drives the resolution to the tonic. Added to a minor triad it makes the m7, the chord that opens most ii–V–I progressions.
Its inversion is the Major Second, which is why a seventh voiced tightly at the bottom of a chord sounds muddy while the same notes inverted sound clean.
Learn this properly
Chapter 5: IntervalsCommon questions
- How many semitones is a Minor Seventh?
- A Minor Seventh spans 10 semitones: C – Bb. Count the semitones of any interval with the interval calculator.
- What is the difference between a dominant seventh and a minor seventh chord?
- Both add a minor seventh above the root. The dominant seventh sits on a major triad, the minor seventh chord on a minor triad.
- What is the inversion of a minor seventh?
- The Major Second — the two sizes add to twelve semitones.
- How do I play Minor Seventh?
- On guitar the handiest shape is Next string, B 1 · E 6, read as string and fret; the instrument panel draws it from any starting note with the other shapes. On the piano count 10 semitones up from any key, black keys included. Play the notes together for the harmonic form, one after the other for the melodic form.