Minor 7th
Minor 7th: G – F, 10 semitones; dissonance.
Octaves
Theory
General info
- Interval
- Minor 7th
- Quality
- Minor
- Semitones
- 10
- Degree distance
- 7 degrees
- Degree
- b7
Interval structure
- Lower note
- G (392.0 Hz)
- Lower note role
- Root
- Upper note
- F (698.5 Hz)
- Upper note role
- Minor seventh (b7)
- Degree formula
- IbVII
- Semitone formula
- 10 semitones (5 whole tones)
Interval construction
- Interval formula
- m7
- Brief explanation
- A minor seventh spans ten semitones and inverts to a major second. It belongs to dominant seventh, minor seventh, and other seventh chords.
Interval notes
1Groot
b7Fminor 7th
Consonance / dissonance
- Sonority
- Dissonance
- Explanation
- A minor seventh is classified as a dissonance. In jazz and popular harmony, a seventh chord may function as a stable part of the texture, but this does not change the interval classification.
How the interval sounds
A minor seventh spans ten semitones and inverts to a major second. As the seventh of a dominant seventh chord, it normally resolves downward by step.
Famous example:
- "Somewhere" from West Side Story
Tendencies & resolutions
The minor 7th tends to resolve — most often downward to a 6th (one note descends by a half step or whole step). In a dominant 7th chord (G7), the minor 7th (F) resolves down to the tonic's 3rd (E in C major). It can also resolve to the octave, rising by two semitones.
Harmonic context
A minor seventh appears in dominant, minor, and half-diminished seventh chords. b7 distinguishes Mixolydian from Ionian and belongs to the blues collection; in jazz, seventh chords commonly serve as the basic form of diatonic harmony.
Interval inversion
- Inverts to
- Major 2nd
- Quality change
- Minormajor
- Inversion rule
- When inverting a minor 7th, the lower note moves up an octave. 10 semitones (m7) become 2 semitones — a major 2nd (M2).
Related intervals
Close intervals
Appears in chords
Appears in scales & modes
How to play on piano
This interval on guitar 🎸
See how Minor 7th looks on guitar.