Music Theory

  Figured Bass and Lead Sheet Symbols

 7th Chords There are 5  qualities of seventh chords that are normally used: major-major, major-minor, minor-minor, diminished-minor, and diminished-diminished.  The seventh chord quality is determined by the quality of the bottom triad and the seventh which the chord contains. 7th Chord Inversions The notation for labeling seventh chords indicates the intervals formed with the bass. E.g. - a seventh chord in 1st inversion (6/3) displays the intervals of a sixth, a fifth, and a third above the bass. As with triads, the figures for seventh chords are often abbreviated.  Below is a table I made displaying the figured-bass numbers of the inversions associated with seventh chords I also provide the short-handed version in the  column all the way to the right: Position Chord Member in the Bass Intervallic Content Figured Bass Short Hand root position   root 7 / 5 / 3 7 first inversion   third 6 / 5 / 3 6 / 5 second inversion   fifth 6 / 4 / 3 4 / 3 thi...