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Jazz Theory 12
7th CHORDS 2
Inversions and Scale-tone chords

  1. 7th Chord Inversions
  2. Practice for keyboard Players
  3. Embellished Blues
  4. Scale-tone 7th Chords
  5. The twelve Chord Families
  6. About Chord Function Analysis
  7. Quiz - Quiz Answers
  8. Lesson Material - General files

    Jazz Theory lessons online

Rhythm Class - In Focus - Learn to Read Music - Jazclass Links

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JT 12.1 - 7th Chord Inversions

A seventh chord can be played in four closed position voicings, one root position and three different inversions : 1st, 2nd and 3rd inversion.

The C maj7 chord for example can be played :

C - E - G - B =

E - G - B - C =

G - B - C - E =

B - C - E - G =

root position

1st inversion

2nd inversion

3rd inversion

---> root at the bottom

---> 3rd at the bottom

---> 5th at the bottom

---> 7th at the bottom


Audio 1
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The diminished 7th is (like the augmented triad) a symmetric chord. All chord tones are at equal distances (of 3 semitones) apart.
Each voicing represents therefore a different voicing for four chords.


Audio 1a
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JT 12.2 - Practice for Keyboard Players

Rule
When playing successive chords around the Circle of Fifths on the keyboard alternate voicings

  • between root positions and 2nd inversions (or vice versa), or

  • between and 3rd inversions (or vice versa).

This produces smooth transitions from chord to chord.

jt1203.gif



Here an example for major 7th chords around the entire Circle of Fifths, alternating root positions and 2nd inversions.

Audio 2
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Notation for the same exercise for dominant 7th and minor 7th chords are on the Facts sheet.

Write out your own chord sequences for the other voicing combinations on manuscript paper.

Select chord voicings on the keyboard so that left hand and right hand chords always fall in the recommended range.


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JT 12.3 - Embellished Blues

Triad chords are common in old style blues like boogie woogie and in Rock & Roll.
In Jazz Blues the dominant 7th chords are most commonly used.

Popular variations of the basic blues chord progression include a :

  1. IV7 chord in bar 2

  2. IV7 chord in bar 10

  3. V7 chord in bar 12 as a turnaround for the next chorus
    (not used for the final ending)

Audio 3
(for Blues in C)

| I7| IV7| I7| I7|

| IV7

| IV7

| I7

| I7

|

| V7

| IV7

| I7

| (V7)

||

Play-a-long track for this Embellished Blues in C, F and G are included in the Lesson Material.
Try out the three blues riffs with these tracks. You can still use the minor pentatonic and blues scales for improvisation.

Keyboard voicings
The blues provides a good opportunity for alternating chord voicings.
Here the left hand voicings for the embellished blues in C. Chords alternate between root position chords for C7, and 2nd inversions for F7 and G7.

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JT 12.4 - Scale-tone 7th Chords

The Scale-tone 7th chords of the major scale are formed in the same way as the scale-tone triads (Lesson 6). For the 7th chords four notes of the major scale are used instead of three.

  1. By stacking three alternate notes of the C major scale on top of the tonic C, a C major 7th chord is formed :
    C - E - G - B

  2. Stacking three alternate notes of the C major scale on top of D produces the second scale-tone 7th chord, this time Dm7 :
    D - F - A - C

  3. Stacking three alternate notes of the C major scale on top of E produces the third scale-tone 7th chord, Em7 :
    E - G - B - D

    and so on.

Repeating this process for each note of the C major scale produces seven scale-tone 7th chords.

Audio 4
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The scale-tone 7th chords formed from the notes of the the F major scale are :

jt1206.gif


Comparing the scale-tone 7th chords from the C and F major scales, you see that the qualities of 7th chords with the same chord numbers are all identical.
The chord qualities of the scale-tone 7th chords are therefore the same in all 12 keys.

For the major scale in any key : jt002.gif

  1. the I Chord is always a major 7th chord

  2. the II Chord is always a minor 7th chord

  3. the III Chord is always a minor 7th chord

  4. the IV Chord is always a major 7th chord

  5. the V Chord is always a dominant 7th chord

  6. the VI Chord is always a minor 7th chord

  7. the VII Chord is always a half diminished chord



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JT 12.5 - The twelve Chord Families

The seven scale-tone chords of a scale form as it were a family. They all belong to the one major scale.

This is very important knowledge for the improviser, for the same scale can be used for improvisation over all its family chord members.

Recognising scale-tone chords in the chord progression of a song makes improvisation a lot easier.
This also singles out the chords that do not belong to a particular scale.
These chords represent temporary modulations away from the main key of the song.
Some tunes contain no or only a few modulations, others modulate from chord to chord.

A good knowledge of the Scale-tone Chord families helps you to understand the chord progression of each song and through this will make you a better improviser.


Here a list of the Scale-tone 7th chord Families of the major scale in 12 keys.

For the individual notes in each chord see Scale-tone 7th Chords 1 and Scale-tone 7th Chords 2.

Major Scale

Scale-tone 7th Chords
Imaj7 IIm7 IIIm7 IVmaj7 V7 VIm7 VIIø
C
Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7
F
Fmaj7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 C7 Dm7
Bb
Bbmaj7 Cm7 Dm7 Ebmaj7 F7 Gm7
Eb
Ebmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Abmaj7 Bb7 Cm7
Ab
Abmaj7 Bbm7 Cm7 Dbmaj7 Eb7 Fm7
Db
Dbmaj7 Ebm7 Fm7 Gbmaj7 Ab7 Bbm7
Gb
Gbmaj7 Abm7 Bbm7 Bmaj7 Db7 Ebm7
B
Bmaj7 C#m7 D#m7 Emaj7 F#7 G#m7 A#ø
E
Emaj7 F#m7 G#m7 Amaj7 B7 C#m7 D#ø
A
Amaj7 Bm7 C#m7 Dmaj7 E7 F#m7 G#ø
D
Dmaj7 Em7 F#m7 Gmaj7 A7 Bm7 C#ø
G
Gmaj7 Am7 Bm7 Cmaj7 D7 Em7 F#ø



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JT 12.6 - About Chord Function Analysis

There are a few additional considerations you need to be aware of when trying to analyse the function of a chord in any tune (see also Lesson 15).

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  1. There are two major 7th chords in the scale-tone chord family of each major scale.
    This means that each major 7th chords belongs to the Chord family of the major scale in two keys.
    The F major 7th chord for example is the IV chord in the C major scale and the I Chord in the F major scale.

  2. Likewise there are three minor 7th chords in the scale-tone chord family of each major scale.
    This means that each minor 7th chords belongs to the Chord family of the major scale in three keys.
    The E minor 7th chord for example is the III chord in the C major scale, the VI Chord in the G major scale, and the II Chord in the D major scale.

  3. There is one half diminished chord in the scale-tone chord family of each major scale. This is a rather obscure member of the major scale.
    (It is however a very important chord member of the harmonic minor scale. This chord is used extensively in Latin songs by composers like A.C.Jobin - see
    Lesson 17).

The above means that although a given chord may appear to be the chord member of one scale, it can in some cases be part of a modulation into another key (scale). In most cases your ear will tell you what is right and what is not.



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JT 12.7 - Quiz

A.
Identify these chords and their voicings (root pos. - 1st inv. - 2nd inv. - 3rd inv.)

jt1207.gif

B.
Unscramble these scale-tone 7th chord families :

  1. Bm7 -- Gmaj7 -- Em7 -- Am7 -- F#ø -- Cmaj7 -- D7

  2. A7 -- F#m7 -- Gmaj7 -- Dmaj7 -- C#ø -- Em7 -- Bm7

  3. Gm7 -- C7 -- Bbmaj7 -- Eø -- Am7 -- Fmaj7 -- Dm7

  4. F#m7 -- Emaj7 -- B7 -- G#m7 -- Amaj7 -- D#ø -- C#m7

  5. Cm7 -- Dø -- Ebmaj7 -- Fm7 -- Bb7 -- Abmaj7 -- Gm7

  6. Dmaj7 -- E7 -- Amaj7 -- F#m7 -- G#ø -- Bm7 -- C#m7


C.
Identify the missing chords :

  1. Amaj7 -- Bm7 -- ? -- Dmaj7 -- E7 -- F#m7 -- ?

  2. Emaj7 -- F#m7 -- G#m7 -- ? -- B7 -- ? -- D#ø

  3. Gbmaj7 -- Abm7 -- Bbm7 -- Cbmaj7 -- ? -- Ebm7 -- ?

  4. Fmaj7 -- ? -- Am7 -- Bbmaj7 -- ? -- Dm7 -- Eø

  5. ? -- Cm7 -- Dm7 -- ? -- F7 -- Gm7 -- Aø

  6. Abmaj7 -- ? -- ? -- Dbmaj7 -- Eb7 -- Fm7 -- Gø


D.
Identify the following major scales :

  1. To which major scales belongs the F#m7 chord ?

  2. To which major scale belongs the B7 chord ?

  3. To which major scales belongs the Bbmaj7 chord ?

  4. To which major scale belongs the chord ?

  5. Which major scale have the C#m7 , the F#m7 and the Bm7 chords in common ?


E.
Identify the chord that does not belong in the following scale-tone 7th chord families :
  1. Dmaj7 -- Em7 -- F#7 -- Gmaj7 -- A7 -- Bm7 -- C#ø

  2. Fmaj7 -- Gm7 -- Am7 -- Bbmaj7 -- Cm7 -- Dm7 -- Eø

  3. Bbmaj7 -- Cm7 -- Dm7 -- Ebmaj7 -- F7 -- Gbm7 -- Aø

  4. Ebmaj7 -- Fm7 -- Gm7 -- Amaj7 -- Bb7 -- Cm7 -- Dø

  5. Gmaj7 -- Am7 -- Bm7 -- Cm7 -- D7 -- Em7 -- F#ø

  6. Bmaj7 -- C#m7 -- D#m7 -- Emaj7 -- F#7 -- G#m7 -- Aø


F.
Write out the chord progression for the Embellished Blues in F and in G.


G.
Analyse the song
Swing Time from the following perspectives.
1. Describe the overall format of the song (number of bars ? repeated sections ?)

2. Are there Circle of Fifths segments ?

3. Are there scale-tone chord segments and modulations

4. Write out the entire chord progression in Roman numerals (Cmaj7 is Imaj7, D7 is II7, etc.)

5. What are the sources (scales, chords) from which the melody was composed ?


H.
Write out on the Chord Inversion Diagrams the root position and all three inversions of the five 7th chord qualities for all 12 keys as shown on the example for Cmaj7.

Write out the major, dominant minor and half diminished qualities in each key on four diagrams displayed on one horizontal row.

Write the four groups of diminished 7th chords on four blocks in a row at the end.

jt1208.gif


I.
Write out on manuscript paper the root position and all three inversions of the five 7th chord qualities for all 12 keys.


J.
Write out on the Scale Letters Diagrams the scale-tone 7th chords for the major scale in all keys as shown on this example for the D major scale.

jt1210.gif


K.
Write out on the Chord Inversion Diagrams the scale-tone 7th chords (all in root position) for the major scale in all keys as shown on this example for the D major scale.

jt1211.gif


Quiz Answers



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JT 12.8 - Lesson Material


File Name Contents
jt12fac.gif Jazz Theory 12 - Facts sheet
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jtx102.gif

jtx103.gif

jtx105.gif

Keyboard Diagrams

Manuscript paper

Scale Letters Diagrams

Chord Inversion Diagrams

jtx016.gif

jtx017.gif

Scale-tone 7th Chords 1 (p.16)

Scale-tone 7th Chords 2 (p.17)

jtso12c.gif

jtso12b.gif

jtso12e.gif

jtso12.mid

Swing Time : C- instr. score

Swing Time : Bb- instr. score

Swing Time : Eb- instr. score

Swing Time : Play-a-long track

jtso11c.gif

emblc.mid

emblf.mid

emblg.mid

Three Blues riff : C- instr. scores

Embellished Blues in C : Play-a-long track

Embellished Blues in F : Play-a-long track

Embellished Blues in G : Play-a-long track



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© 1998 - 2008 Michael Furstner (Jazclass)