Seventh Chords and Inversions
Practice naming seventh chords, spotting inversions, and using the gap rule to find the root.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
What is a seventh chord?
A triad plus one more third stacked on top — four notes total (e.g., C–E–G–B).
How does a root-position seventh chord look on the staff?
Four alternating noteheads: all on lines, or all on spaces.
Spell Cmaj7, C7, Cm7, and Cm7♭5
Cmaj7 = C E G B; C7 = C E G B♭; Cm7 = C E♭ G B♭; Cm7♭5 = C E♭ G♭ B♭.
What interval identifies a dominant seventh chord?
A tritone between the 3rd and the 7th (in G7: B and F) — a 'squished' fifth that sounds tense.
What is an inversion?
Moving the lowest note of a chord up an octave so a different chord member is in the bass; the chord's identity stays the same.
The 'gap' rule for finding the root
Find the fourth (the wide gap). The note just above the fourth is the root.
Name the chord E–G–C
C major in first inversion — the gap G→C means C is the root.
How many inversions does a seventh chord have?
Three inversions (four positions total), because any of the four notes can be in the bass.
What do two adjacent notes (a second) in an inverted 7th chord tell you?
They are the 7th and the root, with the root on top — the fastest way to name the chord.
What does the slash in G7/B mean?
G7 with B in the bass — first inversion.
