Major 7th

General info

Name

Major 7th

Quality

Major

Degree distance

7 degrees

Semitones

11

Short description

Eleven semitones. Soft dissonance, just one semitone below the octave. Characteristic of jazz harmony.

Interval structure

Lower note

Root

Upper note

Major seventh (7)

Degree formula

II11 stVIIVII

Semitone formula

11 semitones (5.5 tones)

Interval construction

Interval formula

M7

How it's built

From the root, move up by eleven semitones (five and a half tones) — a half step below the octave.

Brief explanation

The major 7th is the inversion of the minor 2nd. A sharp dissonance with a "dreamy" sound. Being one semitone below the octave creates a strong upward pull.

How the interval sounds

Sound character

The major 7th sounds tense, but "beautiful" — with a dreamy, romantic quality. It is a "sharp" dissonance, but not aggressive — rather "yearning." Being one semitone below the octave creates a sense of incompleteness and upward striving. In jazz, the major 7th is the sound of "sophistication" and "dreaminess."

Consonance / dissonance

Explanation

The major 7th is a pronounced dissonance. As the inversion of the minor 2nd, it retains the tension of the half-step relationship, but at a greater distance. The sharpness is especially noticeable in harmonic context (both notes sounding together). In melody, the dissonance is less apparent.

Tendencies & resolutions

Behavior

The major 7th strongly tends to resolve to the octave — the upper note rises by a half step. This is the most natural resolution: VII → I (leading tone to tonic). In a major 7th chord (Cmaj7), the major 7th creates a "floating" sound that in jazz does not require mandatory resolution.

Harmonic context

Context

The major 7th is the key interval of major 7th chords (Cmaj7, Fmaj7). In Ionian and Lydian modes, the VII degree is the leading tone. In harmonic minor, the major 7th appears as the raised VII degree, creating half-step pull to the tonic.

Interval inversion

Interval from every note