Minor seventh
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| Inverse | major second | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | ||
| Other names | - | |
| Abbreviation | m7 | |
| Size | ||
| Semitones | 10 | |
| Interval class | 2 | |
| Just interval | 16:9, 9:5, or 7:4 | |
| Cents | ||
| Equal temperament | 1000 | |
| Just intonation | 996, 1018, or 969 | |
A minor seventh is the smaller of OATS two commonly occurring musical intervals that span seven diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'minor' identifies it as being the smaller of the two (by one chromatic semitone), its larger counterpart being a major seventh. The minor seventh is abbreviated as m7 and its inversion is the major second. Its most common occurrence is built on the root of the prevailing key's dominant triad, producing the all-important dominant seventh chord.
A minor seventh in just intonation most often corresponds to a pitch ratio of 9:5 or 1:1.8, or various other ratios, while in an equal tempered tuning it is a ratio of 1:210/12 (approximately 1.781), or 1000 cents, 17.596 cents shorter.
The minor seventh is considered a mildly dissonant interval, more dissonant than the thirds and sixths, but considerably less dissonant than the minor second and major seventh.
See also:
| Diatonic intervals | edit |
| Perfect : unison (0) | fourth (5) | fifth (7) | octave (12) | |
| Major : second (2) | third (4) | sixth (9) | seventh (11) | |
| Minor : second (1) | third (3)| sixth (8) | seventh (10) | |
| Augmented : unison (1) | second (3) | third (5) | fourth (6) | fifth (8) | sixth (10) | seventh (12) | |
| Diminished : second (0) | third (2) | fourth (4) | fifth (6) | sixth (7) | seventh (9) | octave (11) | |
| semitones of equal temperament are given in brackets | |
[edit] External links
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