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Seventh Chords: Landscaping

Goal: To hear the dominant seventh chord as a stack of thirds.

Out of Tempo

Using an electric keyboard with sustain if available.

Beginning

  1. Teacher plays the dominant seventh chord as a melody and a harmony.
  2. Teachers speaks, “Root, third, fifth, seventh.”
  3. Students repeat.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher speaks contents of dominant seventh chord in scale degree numbers, letters (key dependent), solfege, intervals.
    1. "567, 712, 234"
    2. "5, 7, 2, 4"
    3. "G, B, D, F"
    4. "Sol, Ti, Rey, Fa"
    5. “Major third, minor third, minor third”
  2. Students repeat.

Advanced

  1. Teacher plays the dominant seventh chord first as a melody, then as a harmony without identifying the chord tones.
  2. Students repeat.

In Tempo

Beginning

  1. Teacher sets up a time signature and tempo.
  2. Teacher speaks, sings, or plays the chord tones one per measure.
  3. Students repeat.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher sets up a time signature and tempo.
  2. Teacher sings the chord tones of the dominant seventh chord, one per measure.
  3. Students repeat.

Advanced

  1. Teacher plays (and hold if an electric keyboard) the dominant seventh chord.
  2. Teacher asks a student to sing the root, third, fifth or seventh.
  3. Student do so.