color tones / minor 7th chords

Is the center of your tonal universe located in the minor tonality? The following ideas look at the common ways we enhance the minor triad to create the various styles of American music? The primary function of the minor seventh family of chords is to provide harmonic and tonal stability in the minor tonality. In the major tonality, the non tonic minor seven chord type creates the integral passing chords, potentially so essential in all of the styles. As a tonic or One chord in the minor tonality, the minor 7th chord type provides the sense of coming to a "gravitational" rest or stability in common cadential motions. Feel the tension and release in the following cadential idea using A minor as the tonal center. Example 1.

Feel the push towards the minor tonic? Cool. The inverted pedal In the above idea, we have used the One minor seventh chord type for each of the three chords in the common Four / Five / One cadential motion, setting up a brief tension then it's release in the minor tonality. Lets look at it's intervalic structure using our minor / major third building blocks. Example 1a.

Just a small slice of the whole pie, but enough of one to determine chord quality. Play these two thirds on your instrument. Can you sing them accurately? Let's hear the intervals against the background of the chord. Example 1b.

2 evolving to 5 huh by the shifting of the third? Interesting eh? How important is this minor 7th chord type in the major tonality? Well depending on your needs of course. This basic chord color is also the potentially important Two chord in the major tonality. Here is the common jazz cadence of Two / Five One in the Bb major tonality. Example 1c.

So, not only is this chord color the tonic chord within the minor tonality, it plays an integral role in the major tonality? Of course. As a passing chord as above as well as providing the relative minor environment within the major tonal environment, or visa versa whatever. One of the many cool things about the Two / Five / One progression in the major tonality is that it combines the three different chord types, i.e., major 7th, minor 7th and dominant 7th into one nifty little cadence. Will the same color tone configurations associated with the minor 7th chord type, when functioning as the tonic in a minor key, also also be effective when this chord becomes the Two chord in the major tonality? Yes, pretty much, but like everything else, it is up to us to make the colors work. So where do we find this particular minor 7th chord coloring? Just about anywhere in American music literature. The softer quality of the minor seventh chord type creates less stylistic restrictions in it's use. We hear this chord color in folk tunes, rock, funk grooves, gospel, blues, jazz, rap, in lots of cool places.

So, what color tones are available to a tonic chord in the minor tonality? How do we spell and label these chords? Let's create a chart and build some of the more common chord colors that will essentially function as a tonic 7th chord in the minor tonality, organically build a chart spelling out the color tone possibilities in the key of C minor, looking for the cool chordal colors along the way. Starting with a C natural minor scale. Example 2.

Easy enough eh? No? Next to respell the scale in minor and major thirds as an arpeggio. Example 2a.

Now combine the scale and arpeggio together to make our minor tonic family color tone spelling chart. Example 2b.

Cool so far? Same way we spelt the diatonic triads, remember? So what chord do we want to spell? Well, lets start with the minor 7th color. Scanning the C minor arpeggios pitches in the chart above, basically a minor triad and a minor seventh. Here are the highlighted pitches from the above chart creating a four bar phrase. Example 3.

A very earthy feel n'est pas? One cool non-diatonic alteration to the basic minor seven chord is to simply raise the seventh by half step, creating a minor / major 7th combination. We oftentimes hear this color in jazz and pop literature as a "passing 7th" color in the minor tonality. Example 3a.

A bit of spice from the non-diatonic major 6th eh? Compare the spelling of the two different 7th chords in example 3a.

Easy enough eh? Same basic minor triad, slight variation on the 7th degree, simply raised by half step to create the interval of a major seventh as measured from the root of the chord. Look for this passing 7th color in action in the essential Rogers and Hart ballad "My Funny Valentine."

Is the minor 9th chord simply a minor seventh chord extended upward by inclusion of it's diatonic 9th chord degree? Exactly. Example 4.

Compare the two colors. Example 4b.

Coolness or what? The minor 9th is potentially a very important color for the creative artist. It has become a staple in the more recent modern sounding Latin / jazz grooves. The emotional environment the minor 9th color creates is quite a bit heavier than the minor 7th, it's darker and deeper minor color being a favorite choice in both the minor and major tonalities. Wanna jamm? Dig this minor 9th jam loop. Click here. Alterations to the diatonic 9th chord degree in the minor tonality? No, not usually.

Any complications with extending the tonic sounds created by our minor 7 chord type to the 11th chord degree? Example 5.

Nope. What quality of 3rd did we add to create the 11th degree? From D up to F? Right, a minor third. Again, the simple alternation of minor then major thirds to create our color tones. The minor 11th color takes on a suspended gravitational feel so essential to the creative artist. All of the pitches beneath the 11th degree can be included in the chord. They do not necessarily have to be, but there are no real dissonance's between any of the pitches that detracts from the diatonic minor 11th chords unique coloring or it's ability to function as a tonic chord. Hear the minor 11th chords unique ability to create a lovingly ethereal, searching tonal environment. Example 4a.

Getting a sense of the suspended or "epic" quality of the 11th? Read through the essential jazz standard "Maiden Voyage" by Herbie Hancock and absorb his beautiful ideas in the minor 11 environment. Alterations to 11 in regards to the minor 7 chord type? No, it's pretty much diatonically constant. Against the minor third of the minor triad, there is little dissonance with natural 11.

With this in mind, where does the 13th come into play? Here is the chart from above to refresh our theory. Example 5.

The diatonic thirteenth when used closely with the tonic, creates a very strong pull towards the fifth. So often we call this 13th as it would be down one octave, creating a minor 6th interval above the root. Depends in part on the voicing. Here's the line. Example 5a.

The Ab seems to seek the G natural, the 5th degree or dominant pitch in the tonality of C minor. Doesn't have to go there, but just seems to be a part of the Aeolian modal flavor. Alterations to 6 / 13 in the minor tonality? Remember the idea above with the passing 7th? Here is the lick again. Example 5b.

As in the above example, the non-diatonic A so often moves down by step to Ab, as the harmony moves to Four. Can we use this altered 13th to color a minor tonic chord? Of course we can, it's color is very dark and rich, creating a cool, Dorian like emotional setting. Example 5c.

Two labels for this chord? Yes, we often see it in the literature identified both ways. Other alterations to the 6 / 13 color tones within the minor 7th chord type? Nope, that about does it. Can we go further into the arpeggio to the 15th? Sure, why not. Example 6.

As we see from the above chart, the 15th degree is the tonic, up two octaves from our starting point. Here is the extended arpeggio over a vanilla minor 7 chord. Example 6a.

The above melody seems to close on itself, or does it? I don't care for the Ab, here is the above idea reworked and extended a bit further. Example 6b.

Sound better? The Ab on beat 3 of bar 47 is simply more "correct" sounding due to the minor 3rd / major 3rd organic symmetry of equal temper. This last idea ends on E natural in bar 48, the major third above the root two octaves and a major third above the root of the tonic minor triad. The two different thirds in one chord? Pretty neat huh? Does one tonality evolve into the next? Sure does. Extending the minor 7th arpeggio into this level of the upperstructure allows us to modulate from the minor tonality to the major, based on the same root or fundamental. Does the major tonality move into the minor in a similar fashion? Yes it does. Is there an intervalic relationship and cycle between the gradually emerging keys? Yes there is, it goes like this. Example 7.

All of the key center movement above is based on the alternating motion of building the arpeggios in major and minor thirds, the basis of our tertian harmony within equal temper. The minor tonality created in the above sequencing is Dorian based, the major color is based on the Lydian mode. Remember our building blocks diagram for the basic structure of the major 7th and minor 7th chords? The above ideas simply continue to add pitches following the basic sequence initially used to create the basic major and minor 7th chord types. Pretty neat huh? But what do it mean? Hard to say at this juncture, but exploring the potential of both the major and minor triads is perhaps a good place to start. Click here for more ideas on this phenomena.

Other common minor tonic family color tones worth spelling? There really is not all that many options. In how we voice the chords? Yes, lots of options. In how we create sequences of chords? Yes, sky's the limit. In how the individual voices of one chord move to the next? Yes, potentially endless possibilities. Add lyrics? Of course. In shear number of color tones that create a stable functioning minor tonic chord? Eh, no not all that many. Any more possibilities? Maybe the minor tonic b5? Or perhaps the quartile 6 / 9 colors?

So how do we spell the minor tonic color tones in the other 11 minor keys? Just like the diatonic triads? Yep, just like the triads, simply pick the minor key and fill in those pitches into the chart we used above. How about the key of B minor? Sure, here is the chart respelt with the pitches of B minor. Example 8.

Let's spell the common tonic function chords found in the minor tonality from the root B.  Example 8a.

Moving further up the arpeggio. Example 8b.

Easy enough eh? Are you having trouble following along with the ideas on this page? Are you fluent spelling out the letter names of the 12 minor scales? Do you see how by respelling the scale as an arpeggio that the various pitches of the chord are illuminated? What kind of chords do you use to create your music? Any room for some of the bigger chordal colors? As always, lots and lots of questions. Speaking of which, need an answer to any? Comments? Questions?

Ready for exploring the spelling of the color tones for our other two families of chords? Pick one, click and explore.

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein (1879-1955)