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11 semitones · pure 15:8

The major seventh

Eleven semitones, a half step short of the octave. Together its notes clash sharply; in a major seventh chord the same interval sounds dreamy and soft.

Finding it by ear

There's no well-known public-domain tune that starts with one, so find it from the octave: sing the octave, then come down a half step. It's do up to ti, the leading note (the seventh note of the scale), which wants to rise to do.

The major seventh in harmony

A major seventh chord adds it to a major chord: C, E, G and B. Pure, it's 15:8, about 12 cents (a cent is a hundredth of a semitone) narrower than a piano's, a pure fifth above the pure major third.

More intervals

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Stackapella teaches you to sing harmony one part at a time, right in your browser.

Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up.
  • A guide sings your partHear your line over the others, slow it down, then take your turn.
  • Your notes light upEach note shows where you landed, and a hint when to go up or down.
  • Record every part yourselfStack your takes in time until you're the whole choir.
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Questions

What is a major seventh?

An interval of eleven semitones: C to B, or F to E.

Why does a major seventh sound so tense?

Its upper note sits a half step below the lower note's octave, which the lower note's overtones already sound, so the two rub much as a minor second does. That pull is why the seventh note of a scale leads up to the home note.

What is a major seventh chord?

A major chord with a major seventh on top: C, E, G and B, written Cmaj7. It's soft and dreamy, common in jazz and ballads.

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