Katana VentraIP

Dominant seventh chord

In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord,[a] is a seventh chord, composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. Thus it is a major triad together with a minor seventh, denoted by the letter name of the chord root and a superscript "7".[3] In most cases, dominant seventh chord are built on the fifth degree of the major scale. An example is the dominant seventh chord built on G, written as G7, having pitches G–B–D–F:

It's important to notice that the leading note and the subdominant note combined form a diminished fifth (tritone). The clashing sounds produced by playing these two notes together gives the dominant seventh chord its dissonant quality (i.e, lack of harmony, or its instability).[4]


Dominant seventh chords are often built on the fifth scale degree (or dominant) of a key. For instance, in the C major scale, G is the fifth note of the scale, and the seventh chord built on G is the dominant seventh chord, G7 (shown above). In this chord, F is a minor seventh above G. In Roman numeral analysis, G7 would be represented as V7 in the key of C major.


Similarly, this chord also occurs on the seventh degree of any natural minor scale (e.g., G7 in A minor).


The dominant seventh is perhaps the most important of the seventh chords. It was the first seventh chord to appear regularly in classical music. The V7 chord is found almost as often as the V, the dominant triad,[5] and typically functions to drive the piece strongly toward a resolution to the tonic of the key.


A dominant seventh chord can be represented by the integer notation {0, 4, 7, 10} relative to the dominant.

In the V7–I resolution, the dominant, leading note, and supertonic resolve to the tonic, whereas the subdominant resolves to the mediant.

\new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \relative c' { \voiceOne \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 <f b d>1 <e c' c> } >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 g_\markup { \concat { "V" \raise #1 \small "7" \hspace #6 "I" } } c \bar "||" } >> >>

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In the other resolutions, the dominant remains stationary, the leading note and supertonic resolve to the tonic, and the subdominant resolves to the mediant.

\new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \relative c' { \voiceOne \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 <f g>1 <e g> } >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' { \clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4 <g b>_\markup { \concat { "V" \raise #1 \small "7" \hspace #6 "I" } } <c, c'> \bar "||" } >> >>

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All four tones may be present, though the root may be doubled and the fifth omitted.[12][13]

[11]

The (if the seventh is above the third, as in the first measure below) resolves inwards while the augmented fourth (if the seventh is below the third, as in the second measure below) resolves outward. This means that the seventh resolves stepwise downwards[12][13] while the third resolves upwards to the tonic[11] though in such cases the root of the tonic chord may need to be tripled.[12]

\new Staff << \new Voice \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 \stemUp f2 e b c } \new Voice \relative c'' { \clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4 \stemDown b2 c \bar "||" f, e \bar "||" } >>

diminished fifth

The root of the V7, when in the , resolves to the root of the I, in the bass.[11]

bass

In an incomplete V7, with a missing fifth, the doubled root remains stationary.

[11]

The "free resolution of the seventh" features the seventh in an inner voice moving stepwise upwards to the fifth of I

[11]

etc.

Dominant ninth

Irregular resolution

Nondominant seventh chord

Subtonic

Mixolydian mode

Theory and applications for jazz guitar

Dominant Chords