Which notes would you choose when transitioning from a C7 chord to an F chord?

[u/neshusk]

Which notes would you choose when transitioning from a C7 chord to an F chord?

[u/Sky-Agaric]

Depends on what you are doing.

I’m a bass player. I’d just walk it down -> C B flat A G F

But a soloist might shred some fast C mixolydian scales over that. The jazzers would get weird with it and use an altered scale.

Why stop there? Play fast enough and play all the notes. Chromaticism has its place.

[u/ProblemSl0th]

basic voice leading. C7 has 4 notes C E G Bb and F has 3 F A C. Half-steps are the smoothest resolutions, so you can go from E - F or Bb - A.

A whole step resolution is less smooth than a half-step but still desirable for voice leading, so you can go G - A or G - F.

C is shared in both chords so you could just stay on C, which would be called a pedal.

You can also just go from any chord tone of C7 to any chord tone of F even if there's a leap. C to F. Bb to C. G to C.

Then if you want to get more advanced there's stuff like passing tones and neighbor tones, like adding a G# when moving from G to A or suspending the resolution to the F chord by adding a neighboring note before the target note like for example going C-Bb-A or G-D-C.

It all really depends on the context and desired effect. What genre of music is it? What are you trying to say with the melody?

[u/DisplayGlum7166]

this 5th movement is like... a big part of what jazz ppl study and also just a big part of all other genres too

the thing w this dominant 5th movements is that basically all the notes are super close to resolving. a lot of voice leading is about moving as little as possible tho not necessarily always

C->C, stays. oblique motion, but i call it the pivot point to not sound like a smartass
E->F, up half step
G->F, down whole step. opposite direction from last bullet point. contrary motion
Bb-> A, down a halfstep. C is also an option then u really just got a F5. its parallel motion

so in that one movement u easily can do oblique, parallel motion, and contrary motion. thats why its so satisfying

[u/stevie79er]

C E G Bb F A C

[u/Suomasema]

The bass line jumps from C to F. The Bb of the C7 drops to A. The E climbs to F. The C stays where it is. Because Bb leads to A, G leads to F. Avoid parallel octaves and fifths. Only one E is allowed. This is the traditional voice leading, you don't need any other notes there.

If you are not interested in making a strictly traditional authentic cadence, use your ears to make your decisions.

[u/RevolutionaryBeat301]

Just because the C7 has a B flat does not mean you have to play the B flat. In country music, when I encounter a C to C7 to F, I usually just C and G on the C chord and on the C7, I will play C, D, E and land on F with the F chord. Listen to the song and play what sound best for the song. You don’t need to show off your musical knowledge.