~-~---------------·----·----·----·- -------~---------------

Four-Part Chords in the Key of C

As we have seen, triads (three-part chords) are widely used in rock keyboard styles. But what happens if
we want a larger, denser chordal sound in a song? Well, then we could use four-part chords, which have
four different notes in them. These are sometimes referred to as seventh chords, as most of them contain a
seventh interval between the root and a chord tone.

Back in Chapter 2, we built diatonic triads from each note in a C major scale. Now we'll build diatonic
four-part chords from each note in this scale, again staying completely within the scale:

Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bm7~5 Cmaj7

&t u
II
m II
III IV
m R
v VI
t
VII
1l II

OK, time for some more theory. Notice there are chord symbols above each of these diatonic four-part
chords in C major:

• The symbols with the "maj7" suffix are major seventh chords, which can be created by taking a major
triad and adding the note that is a major 7th interval above the root (equivalent to the 7th degree of the
major scale built from the root). On the C major 7th chord, this means we have major 3rd, perfect 5th,
and major 7th intervals above the root C. The same interval pattern also occurs in the Fmaj7 chord.
• The symbols with the "m7" suffix are minor seventh chords, which can be created by taking a minor
triad and adding the note that is a minor 7th interval above the root (equivalent to the 7th degree of the
major scale built from the root, lowered by half-step). On the D minor 7th chord, this means we have
minor 3rd, perfect 5th, and minor 7th intervals above the root D. The same interval pattern also occurs
in the Em7 and Am7 chords.
• The symbol with the "7" suffix is a dominant seventh chord, which can be created by taking a major
triad and adding the note that is a minor 7th interval above the root (equivalent to the 7th degree of the
major scale built from the root, lowered by half-step). On the G (dominant) 7th chord, this means we
have major 3rd, perfect 5th, and minor 7th intervals above the root G.
• The symbol with the "m7b5" suffix is a minor seventh with flatted 5th chord, which can be created by
taking the minor seventh chord and flatting the 5th by a half-step. This chord is also referred to as a
"half-diminished seventh" chord.

Major, minor, and dominant seventh chords are commonly used in pop, rock, and R&B styles, but the
"minor 7th with flatted 5th" chord is seldom used. (This is more of a jazz sound.)

As for the diatonic triads in Chapter 2, note that Roman numerals are again shown below each chord,
indicating the function of each chord within the key. For example, in the key of C, the C major seventh
chord is a I (or "one chord"), the D minor seventh chord is a II (or "two chord"), and so on. Our next
example is a pop/rock shuffle using some of these four-part chords, in the key of C:

16
 0>.0>
TRACK 32 TRACK 33
piano only piano plus
Swing eighths rhythm section
Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7

"!'\"

l
t) -e- ' -u-

7
- _....,
--- ...
,........,
..
4 •
~

Fmaj7
~

Em7
-- ~

Dm7 Cmaj7
J
~

l
t) ~

"--" -e-
l I ~ l
_....,
.
.
~

L
.. ~ •
* -,1
'-"

... -e-

Here the right hand is playing whole-note four-part chords in root position (i.e., with the root note on the
bottom) over a left-hand pattern that uses the root and 5th of each chord and anticipates beat 3 in each
measure. The harmony and rhythms of this example are reminiscent of 1960s Motown styles.

Four-Part Chord Inversions and Voice Leading

Even though we were using only root position chords in the previous example, the voice leading (moving
smoothly between chords) was still pretty good, because the progression was moving up and down the
diatonic series (i.e., from a I chord, to a II chord, to a III chord, etc.). However, for most other types of
four-part chord progressions, we will need to use inversions to voice lead correctly between the chords, just
like we did with triad progressions in Chapter 2. The next example uses inversions to voice lead between a
1-IV-11-VI (one, four, two, six) four-part chord progression inC:

G G
TRACK 34 TRACK 35
piano only piano plus
rhythm section
Cmaj7 Fmaj7 Dm7 Am7
(
tJ

lu !~~!-il-il!-il !-¥-¥!-¥-¥!-¥ ~_,_,~.,_,~.., !" ...... !" ...... !" ...

I
~

The right-hand rhythmic accents in this example are similar to Tracks 24/25: accenting beat one, halfway
through beat 2 (the "&of 2"), and beat 4. The left hand is supporting this pattern by playing the chord roots
on beats 1 and 4 of each measure.

In general, using these four-part chords in the right hand creates a denser, more sophisticated sound
(compared to using triads). For more basic rock styles, however, the simplicity and clarity of triads will be
preferred. Let your ears be the judge! Also, it is possible to create/imply larger chords while still using
triads in the right hand, as we are about to see.

17