Major seventh
The musical interval of a Major seventh the first note (the root or tonic) and the seventh, the leading tone, in a major scale. It is the inversion of the minor second. It is abbreviated as M7.
It can be produced by starting on a high note and playing the seventh below or by starting on a low note and playing the seventh above.
A Major seventh in just intonation most often corresponds to a pitch ratio of 15:8 or 1:1.875, or various other ratios, while in an equal tempered tuning it is a ratio of 1:211/12 (approximately 1.887), or 1100 cents, 11.731 cents sharp of 15:8.
The Major seventh is considered the second most dissonant interval after its inversion the minor second.
See also
| Major seventh | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # semitones | Interval class | # cents in equal temperament | Most common diatonic name | Comparable just interval | # cents in just interval | Just interval vs. equal-tempered interval | ||
| 11 | 1 | 1100 | major seventh | 15:8 | 1088 | 12 cents smaller | ||
| ||||||||
External links
Categories: Intervals | Music theory stubs