Harmonic seventh chord
Encyclopedia
The harmonic seventh chord is a major triad
plus the harmonic seventh
interval (ratio of 7:4, about 968.826 cents
). This interval
is somewhat narrower than (about 48.77 cents, a septimal quarter tone
) and is "sweeter in quality" than an "ordinary" minor seventh
, which has a just-intonation ratio of 9:5 (1017.596 cents), or an equal-temperament
ratio of 1000 cents (25/6:1). Frequent use of this chord
is one of the defining characteristics of blues
and barbershop harmony
; barbershoppers refer to it as "the barbershop seventh". Since barbershop music tends to be sung in just intonation
, the barbershop seventh chord may be accurately termed a harmonic seventh chord. The harmonic seventh chord is also widely used in "blues flavored" music. As guitars, pianos, and other equal-temperament instruments cannot play this chord, it is frequently approximated by a dominant seventh. As a result it is often called a dominant seventh chord and written with the same symbols (such as the blues progression I7 - V7 - IV7).
An often heard example of the harmonic seventh chord is the last word of the modern addition to the song "Happy Birthday to You
", with the lyrics, "and many more!" The harmony on the word "more" is typically sung as a harmonic seventh chord.
The alpha scale
has, "excellent harmonic seventh chords...using the inversion of 7/4, i.e., 8/7
." .
to the seventh of and the major-minor seventh or dominant seventh chord, when it is used in a barbershop arrangement
or performance. "Society arrangers believe that a song should contain anywhere from 35 to 60 percent dominant seventh chords to sound 'barbershop'--and when they do, barbershoppers speak of being in 'seventh heaven.'"
Beginning in the 1940s, barbershop revival singers "have self-consciously tuned their dominant seventh and tonic chord in just intonation to maximize the overlap of common tones, resulting in a ringing sound rich in harmonics" called 'extended sound', 'expanded sound', 'fortified sound', "the voice of the angels". The first positive mention of such practice appears to be Reagan, 'Molly' (1944). "Mechanics of Barbershop Harmony", Harmonizer. The example of a dominant chord tuned to 100, 125, 150, and 175 Hz, or the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th harmonics of a 25 Hz fundamental is given, making the seventh of the chord a "harmonic seventh".
It is normally voiced with the lowest note (the bass) on a root or a fifth, and its close harmony
sound is one of the hallmarks of barbershop music.
When tuned in just intonation (as in barbershop singing), this chord is called a harmonic seventh chord.
Major chord
In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...
plus 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...
interval (ratio of 7:4, about 968.826 cents
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...
). This interval
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
is somewhat narrower than (about 48.77 cents, a septimal quarter tone
Septimal quarter tone
A septimal quarter-tone is an interval with the ratio of 36:35 , which is the difference between the septimal minor third and the Just minor third , or about 48.77 cents wide. The name derives from the interval being the 7-limit approximation of a quarter tone...
) and is "sweeter in quality" than an "ordinary" minor seventh
Minor seventh
In classical music from Western culture, a seventh is a musical interval encompassing seven staff positions , 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 semitones, the...
, which has a just-intonation ratio of 9:5 (1017.596 cents), or an equal-temperament
Equal temperament
An equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...
ratio of 1000 cents (25/6:1). Frequent use of this chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
is one of the defining characteristics of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and barbershop harmony
Barbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
; barbershoppers refer to it as "the barbershop seventh". Since barbershop music tends to be sung 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...
, the barbershop seventh chord may be accurately termed a harmonic seventh chord. The harmonic seventh chord is also widely used in "blues flavored" music. As guitars, pianos, and other equal-temperament instruments cannot play this chord, it is frequently approximated by a dominant seventh. As a result it is often called a dominant seventh chord and written with the same symbols (such as the blues progression I7 - V7 - IV7).
An often heard example of the harmonic seventh chord is the last word of the modern addition to the song "Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
", with the lyrics, "and many more!" The harmony on the word "more" is typically sung as a harmonic seventh chord.
The alpha scale
Alpha scale
The α scale is a non-octave-repeating musical scale which splits the minor third into two equal parts, or four equal parts of approximately 78 cents each . This totals approximately 15.39 steps per octave...
has, "excellent harmonic seventh chords...using the inversion of 7/4, i.e., 8/7
Septimal whole tone
In music, the septimal whole tone, septimal major second, or supermajor second is the musical interval exactly or approximately equal to a 8/7 ratio of frequencies. It is about 231 cents wide in just intonation. Although 24 equal temperament does not match this interval particularly well, its...
." .
Barbershop seventh
The barbershop seventh is the name commonly given by practitioners of barbershop musicBarbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
to the seventh of and the major-minor seventh or dominant seventh chord, when it is used in a barbershop arrangement
Barbershop arranging
Barbershop arranging is the art of creating arrangements of barbershop music. The Barbershop Harmony Society has prescribed rules that dictate what is an acceptable arrangement, particularly with regard to singing in competition...
or performance. "Society arrangers believe that a song should contain anywhere from 35 to 60 percent dominant seventh chords to sound 'barbershop'--and when they do, barbershoppers speak of being in 'seventh heaven.'"
Beginning in the 1940s, barbershop revival singers "have self-consciously tuned their dominant seventh and tonic chord in just intonation to maximize the overlap of common tones, resulting in a ringing sound rich in harmonics" called 'extended sound', 'expanded sound', 'fortified sound', "the voice of the angels". The first positive mention of such practice appears to be Reagan, 'Molly' (1944). "Mechanics of Barbershop Harmony", Harmonizer. The example of a dominant chord tuned to 100, 125, 150, and 175 Hz, or the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th harmonics of a 25 Hz fundamental is given, making the seventh of the chord a "harmonic seventh".
It is normally voiced with the lowest note (the bass) on a root or a fifth, and its close harmony
Close harmony
Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open harmony or voicing in that it uses each part on the closest harmonizing note , while the open voicing uses a broader pitch array expanding the harmonic range past the octave...
sound is one of the hallmarks of barbershop music.
When tuned in just intonation (as in barbershop singing), this chord is called a harmonic seventh chord.