LearnJazzPiano.com archives: What is D-7 ?
FransE -- 10/01/2006, 05:02:25 -- #30185
I've encountered a chord notation in a real book, D-7, G-7, and so on, that I don't fully know what is. It's from Waltz for Debby where the chords, in key F-major, for the first phrase read(one for each bar):

Fmaj7 D-7 G-7 E7 A7

I first thought that D-7 mean a minor D-seventh chord, but that doesn't hold since A7 also is a minor but doesn't have a "-".

Does the "-" mean that the fifth in the chord should be a tritonus? That is, that D-7 is D-F-Ab-C?

Or does D-7 mean that it's a dim chord? That is, D-F-Ab-B?

sid -- 10/01/2006, 05:19:20 -- #30185
You were right first time.  D-7 is D minor 7 (D F A C).
A7 isn't a minor chord, it's a dominant 7 (A C# E G).

It's a pity there isn't an international standard for naming chords, but that's how it is.  You just need to pick up the different conventions by doing what you're doing, namely asking when you encounter something you haven't come across before.

Good lug, as Henry Kissinger used to say

sid

charlp88 -- 10/01/2006, 05:51:58 -- #30185
whenever I notate chords I try to use mi for minor ie dmi7b5 Ddim   G7 for dom ,and so on  with the hope it someday will become common usage? and Maj for major

thejaffer -- 10/01/2006, 11:20:46 -- #30185
My understanding:

Just a letter eg. C assumes major triad C E G

then:

the dash (-) means you flatten the third (ie. minor 3rd)

7 means add flatten the 7th (ie. minor 7th)

Maj7 or a triangle means add raised/major 7th

circle means diminished 3rd and 5th and major 6th
(eg. B D F G#)=diminished chord

half circle = as circle except use minor 7th instead of major 6th
ie. (B D F A)


there are combinations of these eg.

C   ---> C E G
C-  ---> C Eb G
Cmaj7 ---> C E G B
C7  ---> C E G Bb
C-7 ---> C Eb G Bb
C-maj7 ---> C Eb G B
Cdim ---> C Eb Gb A
Cdim maj7 ---> C Eb Gb B

etc..........

I would use triangle for maj7, dash for min or mi and circle for dim or diminished, because it is quicker to read and write and there is no ambiguity about the M or m meaning Major or Minor which can occur when sight reading badly written, badly photocopied leadsheets....

SolArt -- 10/01/2006, 11:44:24 -- #30185
I doubt that Charlie! The world is too big. Here in Germany often a small case letter makes it minor. a7 = Am7

What's really aggravating is often I've seen in lead sheets from Italy a "+" doesn't mean augmented, it means major the 7th. C7+ = Cmaj7. No good! Actually they often call this Do7+ (Do seven plus). Dmaj7 would be Re7+, etc. Mi7 = E7, Mim7 = Em7. And finally the chords are sometimes indicated UNDER the text! This can confuse one in a hurry playing off a lead sheet live, to say nothing of your (non)ability if you've had a couple of drinks!!! Then you can't even cuss about it because you don't know Italian!

thejaffer -- 10/01/2006, 18:25:30 -- #30185
oh yes, forgot that one
+ ---> #5

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