Augmented seventh chord

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augmented seventh chord
Component intervals from root
minor seventh
augmented fifth
major third
root
Tuning
80:100:125:144
Forte no. / Complement
4-24 / 8-24

The augmented seventh chord  Play , or seventh augmented fifth chord,[1] or seventh sharp five chord is a dominant seventh chord consisting of an augmented triad with a minor seventh.[2] Thus, it consists of a root, major third, augmented fifth, and the minor seventh.[3] Thus in the key of C major it would be C, E, G-sharp, and B-flat as in the figure. It may be notated with the chord symbols C+7, Caug7,[3] or C75, and can be represented by the integer notation {0, 4, 8, 10}.

The root is the only optional note in an augmented seventh chord, the fifth being required because it is raised.[4] This alteration is useful in the major mode because the raised 5th creates a leading tone to the 3rd of the tonic triad.[2] See also dominant.

In rock parlance, the term Augmented seventh chord is sometimes confusingly and erroneously used to refer to the so-called "Hendrix chord", a 79 chord which contains the interval of an augmented ninth but not an augmented fifth.[5]

One chord scale option for a C augmented dominant seventh chord (C E G B  Play ) is the C whole tone scale:[6] C D E F G A/B  Play 

The augmented minor seventh chord may be considered an altered dominant seventh and may use the whole-tone scale, as may the dominant seventh flat five chord.[7] See chord scale system.

Augmented seventh chord resolution in C major.  Play 

The augmented seventh chord normally resolves to the chord a perfect fourth above,[8] thus G7+5 resolves to a C major chord, for example.

Augmented seventh chord table

Chord Root Major third Augmented fifth Minor seventh
Caug7 C E G B
Caug7 C E (F) G (A) B
Daug7 D F A C (B)
Daug7 D F A C
Daug7 D F (G) A (B) C
Eaug7 E G B D
Eaug7 E G B (C) D
Faug7 F A C E
Faug7 F A C (D) E
Gaug7 G B D F (E)
Gaug7 G B D F
Gaug7 G B (C) D (E) F
Aaug7 A C E G
Aaug7 A C E (F) G
Aaug7 A C (D) E (F) G
Baug7 B D F A
Baug7 B D F (G) A

See also

Sources

  1. Kroepel, Bob (1993). Mel Bay Creative Keyboard's Deluxe Encyclopedia of Piano Chords: A Complete Study of Chords and How to Use Them, p.15. ISBN 0-87166-579-4.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "The Dominant with a Raised 5th", Kostka, Stefan, and Dorothy Payne. 2004. Tonal Harmony with an Introduction to Twentieth-Century Music. 6th Ed. pp. 446-447. New York. ISBN 978-0-07-332713-6.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Garner, Robert (2007). Mel Bay presents Essential Music Theory for Electric Bass, p.69. ISBN 0-7866-7736-8.
  4. Latarski, Don (1991). An Introduction to Chord Theory, p.29. ISBN 0-7692-0955-6.
  5. Radio: "Shiver down the backbone - Jimi Hendrix comes to Radio 3", The Spectator, by Kate Chisholm, Wednesday, 21 November 2007
  6. Hatfield, Ken (2005). Jazz and the Classical Guitar Theory and Applications, p.121. ISBN 0-7866-7236-6.
  7. Berle, Annie (1996). Contemporary Theory And Harmony, p.100. ISBN 0-8256-1499-6.
  8. Bay, William (1994). Mel Bay Complete Jazz Sax Book, p.64. ISBN 0-7866-0229-5.