Keyboard harmony: The minor 7th chord chain

By William Ramsay and Martin Lillich

The minor 7th chord chain

The minor 7th chord is often, but not always, used as a II chord in functional harmony. It consists of a minor 3rd (b3) and a minor 7th (b7). The minor 7 chord is written with a small 'm' and a 7 as in Cm7.

In the 1 – 3 – 7 position the interval between 3 and 7 is a perfect 5th (P5)

In Cm7 the notes from the major third would be:

Eb F G A Bb
1 2 3 4 P5

In the 1 – 7 – 3 position the interval between the 7 and the 3 is a perfect 4th (P4).

Bb C D Eb
1 2 3 P4

The interval between the minor 3rd and the minor 7th is a perfect fifth or P5. Just as with the major 7th chain, the movement in the right hand is in whole steps. In this case the minor or b7 always moves a whole step to become a minor or b3 in the next chord. The minor or b3 always remains the same and turns into a minor or b7 in the next chord. This means that you repeat one of the notes each time as you move down. Note that on C#m7 the minor 7th is enharmonised from Cb to B.

TIP: When practicing these exercises, always start with the bass line first. It is the hardest to play. Once you have mastered it, practice the right hand until you have mastered it too. Finally play both hands together. It is a good idea to use a metronome set at a slow speed. These exercises are not about speed but accuracy. You should concentrate on seeing the chords and memorising the hand shapes. If you are making mistakes, slow the speed down until you can play it correctly.

The minor 7th chord chain starting on Cm7 using the 1 – 3 – 7 position

In this exercise we start on Cm7 in the 1 – 3 – 7 position and move in whole steps through all 12 chords before landing on Cm7 at the end.

The minor 7th chord chain starting on Cm7 using the 1 – 7 – 3 position

By starting in the 1 – 7 – 3 position the order is reversed.

The minor 7th chord chain starting on Bm7 using the 1 – 3 – 7 position

Starting on Bm7 you can repeat the progression starting in the 1 – 3 – 7 position.

The minor 7th chord chain starting on Bm7 using the 1 – 7 – 3 position

Finally, you can start on Bm7 in the 1 – 7 – 3 position to complete the exercise.

The tutorials shown here were designed for the Professional Training Programme developed by the Global Music Academy in Berlin, Germany, for use in Music Academies in Africa. The videos were made possible through a grant from the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union and Goethe-Institut, who funded the East African Global Music Campus (EAGMC), which took place in 2017-18 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with participants from Music Schools and Academies in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. These tutorials form part of the first year module of the keyboard harmony programme.