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Exercises on Major Seventh Chords
The notes of the major 7th chord are the first, third, fifth and seventh notes of the major scale.
So, the C major 7th chord is made up of C, E, G and B.
In each of the exercises, a two-measure pattern of notes is played. Listen to the pattern, then play it in the next two measures.
I would recommend working with the first two or three minutes of each exercise before going further in the exercises.
Don't worry about mistakes. The goal is to increase your ability to identify the notes, so even if you are not able to
achieve total confidence with the exercises, working with them is still very beneficial.
The notes that are played will be the concert key notes C, E, G and B.
C instruments (like the flute) will play their notes C, E, G and B.
Bb instruments (like the tenor saxophone) will play their notes D, F#, A and C#.
Eb instruments (like the alto saxophone) will play their notes A, C#, E and G#.
The notes of the 7th chord are referred to as the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th of the chord. This refers back to their position in the major scale.
The 1st note (C in the C major 7th chord) is also called the 'root' of the chord. When the root is the lowest of the chord tones, the
chord is in 'root position'.
When the chord is played with the 3rd (E in the C major 7th chord) as the lowest note, the chord is in '1st inversion'.
When the chord is played with the 5th (G in the C major 7th chord) as the lowest note, the chord is in '2nd inversion'.
When the chord is played with the 7th (B in the C major 7th chord) as the lowest note, the chord is in '3rd inversion'.
The Exercises
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Root position
|
C instruments | Bb instruments | Eb instruments |
| Top Note | B | C# | G# |
| Third Note | G | A | E |
| Second Note | E | F# | C# |
| Bottom Note | C | D | A |
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1st Inversion
|
C instruments | Bb instruments | Eb instruments |
| Top Note | C | D | A |
| Third Note | B | C# | G# |
| Second Note | G | A | E |
| Bottom Note | E | F# | C# |
-
2nd Inversion
|
C instruments | Bb instruments | Eb instruments |
| Top Note | E | F# | C# |
| Third Note | C | D | A |
| Second Note | B | C# | G# |
| Bottom Note | G | A | E |
-
3rd Inversion
|
C instruments | Bb instruments | Eb instruments |
| Top Note | G | A | E |
| Third Note | E | F# | C# |
| Second Note | C | D | A |
| Bottom Note | B | C# | G# |
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Combined Notes (Notes from all positions)