Major seventh
The major seventh spans eleven semitones with a just ratio of 15:8, a sharp dissonance that the ear hears as a leading tone pulling toward the octave.
From C
- Size
- 11 semitones
- Abbreviation
- M7
- Just ratio
- 15:8 (1,088.27 cents)
- Equal-tempered
- 1100 cents (+11.73 from just)
- Inversion
- Minor second
What it sounds like
The major seventh is a dissonance with a sharp, bright clash. Its just ratio, 15:8, is simple enough that the notes sound close, yet the two pitches grate against each other. Melodically it is a wide leap that leans upward toward the octave, and the ear hears it as a note wanting to rise. Harmonically it is the interval between the root and the seventh of a major seventh chord, where it gives the chord a tense, luminous top. The seventh sits a semitone below the octave, which is what makes it lean upward.
How to recognise it by ear
Reference songs vary for this interval, so no tune is given. In C, sing C up to B: the top note sits a half step below the octave and pulls upward to C, sharper than the minor seventh. The sound is brighter and more insistent, where the minor seventh falls instead of rising. Practice: sing C to B, then C to the octave above, and hear the upward lift each time before naming the leap.
Theory
The major seventh inverts to the minor second: the lower note moves up an octave, the semitones total twelve, and the quality changes from major to minor. In the major scale and the harmonic minor scale, the seventh degree is the leading tone, a major seventh above the tonic. It is the interval between root and seventh in the major seventh chord, such as C E G B. Its just ratio, 15:8, measures 1088.27 cents. The equal-tempered major seventh is 1100 cents, so the just size is 11.73 cents narrower.
The major seventh above every note
Spelled by letter name, so the interval’s number is always right: a major seventh above E♭ is not the same spelling as above D♯.
| From | To | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
On the piano
Further reading
- Reading Intervals at Sight: Generic and SpecificFundamentals · 6 min
- Seventh Chords and How They Resolve in Tonal HarmonyHarmony · 7 min
Questions
Is the major seventh a dissonance in every context?
In common-practice harmony, it is classed as a dissonance because it clashes with the root and wants to resolve upward. In jazz, though, the major seventh chord is often used as a tonic chord, where the interval sounds settled. The context, not the ratio alone, decides how the interval functions.
What is the difference between a major seventh and an octave?
A major seventh is one semitone below the octave. C up to B is a major seventh, while C up to C is the octave. Because the major seventh sits so close to the octave, it is easily mistaken for it when played quickly.
Why does the major seventh resolve upward?
Its top note is a semitone below the octave, and the ear hears that closeness as a pull toward the octave. In the major scale, the seventh degree is the leading tone, so it rises by a half step to the tonic. The resolution is upward because the octave is the nearest stable note.