Minor seventh
Encyclopedia
In classical music
from Western culture
, a seventh is a musical interval encompassing seven staff positions (see Interval (music)#Number for more details), and the minor seventh is one of two commonly occurring sevenths. The minor quality specification identifies it as being the smallest of the two: the minor seventh spans ten semitone
s, the major seventh eleven. For example, the interval from A to G is a minor seventh, as the note G lies ten semitones above A, and there are seven staff positions from A to G. Diminished
and augmented seventh
s span the same number of staff positions, but consist of a different number of semitones (nine and twelve).
Minor seventh intervals are featured in melodies less often than the rarely featured major sevenths, at least the openings, with the best-known exception being the first two notes of the main theme from Star Trek: The Original Series
theme. Other examples include the first two words of the phrase "There's a place us" from the song "Somewhere
" in West Side Story
.
The most common occurrence of the minor seventh is built on the root
of the prevailing key
's dominant triad
, producing the all-important dominant seventh chord
.
Harry Partch
distinguishes between the 16:9 "small just 'minor seventh'" and the 9:5 "large just 'minor seventh'". A minor seventh in just intonation
, also known as Pythagorean small minor seventh, typically corresponds to a pitch ratio of 16:9 (Pythagorean small minor seventh ) or 9:5 (5-limit large minor seventh), while in an equal tempered tuning it is a ratio of 25/6:1 (about 1.782), or 1000 cents, 3.91 cent
s wider than the 16:9 ratio and 17.60 cents narrower than the 9:5 ratio.
An interval close in frequency is the harmonic seventh
, or septimal minor seventh, with an exact 7:4 ratio (i.e., 1.75), which makes it quasi-harmonically significant. This interval is about 969 cents, or one-third of a semitone flatter than the equal-temperament minor seventh (1000 cents).
Consonance and dissonance
are relative, depending on context, the minor seventh being defined as a dissonance requiring resolution to a consonance
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
from Western culture
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
, a seventh is a musical interval encompassing seven staff positions (see Interval (music)#Number for more details), and the minor seventh is one of two commonly occurring sevenths. The minor quality specification identifies it as being the smallest of the two: the minor seventh spans ten semitone
Semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically....
s, the major seventh eleven. For example, the interval from A to G is a minor seventh, as the note G lies ten semitones above A, and there are seven staff positions from A to G. Diminished
Diminished seventh
In classical music from Western culture, a diminished seventh is an interval produced by narrowing a minor seventh by a chromatic semitone. For instance, the interval from A to G is a minor seventh, ten semitones wide, and both the intervals from A to G, and from A to G are diminished sevenths,...
and augmented seventh
Augmented seventh
In classical music from Western culture, an augmented seventh is an interval produced by widening a major seventh by a chromatic semitone. For instance, the interval from C to B is a major seventh, eleven semitones wide, and both the intervals from C to B, and from C to B are augmented sevenths,...
s span the same number of staff positions, but consist of a different number of semitones (nine and twelve).
Minor seventh intervals are featured in melodies less often than the rarely featured major sevenths, at least the openings, with the best-known exception being the first two notes of the main theme from Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
theme. Other examples include the first two words of the phrase "There's a place us" from the song "Somewhere
Somewhere (song)
"Somewhere" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story which was made into a film in 1961. The music is composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and takes a phrase from the slow movement of Beethoven's 'Emperor' Piano Concerto, which forms the start of the...
" in West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
.
The most common occurrence of the minor seventh is built on the root
Root (chord)
In music theory, the root of a chord is the note or pitch upon which a triadic chord is built. For example, the root of the major triad C-E-G is C....
of the prevailing key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
's dominant triad
Triad (music)
In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:* the Root...
, producing the all-important dominant seventh chord
Dominant seventh chord
In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord,is a chord composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. It can be also viewed as a major triad with an additional minor seventh...
.
Harry Partch
Harry Partch
Harry Partch was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit just intonation.-Early...
distinguishes between the 16:9 "small just 'minor seventh'" and the 9:5 "large just 'minor seventh'". A minor seventh in just intonation
Just intonation
In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of small whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval. The two notes in any just interval are members of the same harmonic series...
, also known as Pythagorean small minor seventh, typically corresponds to a pitch ratio of 16:9 (Pythagorean small minor seventh ) or 9:5 (5-limit large minor seventh), while in an equal tempered tuning it is a ratio of 25/6:1 (about 1.782), or 1000 cents, 3.91 cent
Cent (music)
The cent is a logarithmic unit of measure used for musical intervals. Twelve-tone equal temperament divides the octave into 12 semitones of 100 cents each...
s wider than the 16:9 ratio and 17.60 cents narrower than the 9:5 ratio.
An interval close in frequency is the harmonic seventh
Harmonic seventh
The harmonic seventh interval , also known as the septimal minor seventh, or subminor seventh, is one with an exact 7:4 ratio . This is somewhat narrower than and is "sweeter in quality" than an "ordinary" minor seventh, which has a just-intonation ratio of 9:5 , or an equal-temperament ratio of...
, or septimal minor seventh, with an exact 7:4 ratio (i.e., 1.75), which makes it quasi-harmonically significant. This interval is about 969 cents, or one-third of a semitone flatter than the equal-temperament minor seventh (1000 cents).
Consonance and dissonance
Consonance and dissonance
In music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
are relative, depending on context, the minor seventh being defined as a dissonance requiring resolution to a consonance