Minor 7th

General info

Interval

Minor 7th

Quality

Minor

Semitones

10

Degree distance

7 degrees

Degree

b7

Interval structure

Lower note

G# (415.3 Hz)

Lower note role

Root

Upper note

F# (740.0 Hz)

Upper note role

Minor seventh (b7)

Degree formula

I

bVII

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

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

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 2ndM2

Quality change

Minor

major

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