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A
returns to another
minor 7th
chord.
A, C, E, G
.
B
is our final scale degree which, like G, has a new 7th chord type.
The notes are
B, D, F, A.
B
to
D
is a
minor 3rd
(3 semitones).
B
to
F
is a
diminished 5th
(6 semitones).
B
to
A
is a
minor 7th
(10 semitones).
In classical music contexts, this chord is commonly referred to as a
half
diminished
chord.
In jazz and popular music, the more common term is
minor
7 flat 5
.
A bit more of a mouthful than
half diminished
, but much more
descriptive. It is a
minor 7th
chord with its
5th
degree
flattened
to the
tritone interval.
We now have a chord quality for every degree of our scale!
CΔ7
D–7
E–7
FΔ7
G7
A–7
B–7( 5)
This is the foundation for a lot of western music. Many songs use only
these available chords in their progressions.
minor 3rd
perfect 5th
minor 7th
A
–7
minor 3rd
diminished 5th
minor 7th
B
Ø