Minor seventh

This article is about the interval. For the chord, see Minor seventh chord.

minor seventh

Inverse	major second
Name
Other names	flat seventh
Abbreviation	m7, ♭7
Size
Semitones	10
Interval class	2
Just interval	16:9 or 9:5
Cents
12-Tone equal temperament	1000
Just intonation	996 or 1018

File:Minor seventh on C.png

Minor seventh equal tempered or .

In music theory, a minor seventh is one of two musical intervals that span seven staff positions. It is minor because it is the smaller of the two sevenths, spanning ten semitones. The major seventh spans eleven. For example, the interval from A₃ to G₄ is a minor seventh, as the note G₄ lies ten semitones above A₃, and there are seven staff positions from A₃ to G₄. Diminished and augmented sevenths span the same number of staff positions, but consist of a different number of semitones (nine and twelve, respectively).

Use

Minor seventh intervals rarely feature in melodies (and especially in their openings) but occur more often than major sevenths. A well-known example, in part due to its frequent use in theory classes, is found between the first two words of the phrase "There's a place for us" in the song "Somewhere" in West Side Story. Another well-known example occurs between the first two notes of the introduction to the main theme music from Star Trek: The Original Series theme.

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.

During the common practice period the minor seventh was prescribed as a dissonance, requiring resolution to a consonance.

In other temperaments

In just intonation there is both a 16:9 "lesser just minor seventh", also called the "Pythagorean small minor seventh",() equivalent to two perfect fourths stacked on top of each other, and 9:5, called the "greater just minor seventh" () equivalent to a perfect fifth and a minor third on top of each other. An interval close in frequency is the harmonic seventh. ()

See also

• Minor seventh chord
• Musical tuning
• List of meantone intervals
• Harmonic seventh