AP MUSIC THEORYMR. JACKSON

UNIT 11: SECONDARY DOMINANTS

Scale Degree Stability

Every chord has a function that depends on its location or hierarchy within the tonality. For example, an F Major chord functions differently as I in F Major, as IV in C Major, or as V in Bb Major.

The term unstable refers to how active or restless the note is; that is, how great is the need to move forward and resolve to a more stable note?

The two most restless tones are the resolution tones: Ti and Fa. They are both found in the V7 chord and the viio triad.

Dominant Function

The similarities of these chords (V7 and viio) puts them in the dominant family – the most active function.

Dominant function has a very strong pull to tonic, whether that tonic is the tonal center or a temporary tonic. The secondary dominant function serves to heighten or intensify the pull to resolution. Temporary tonicization is generally attributed to borrowing two or three chords from a closely related key to heighten the harmonic intensity and color. The leading tone, scale degree 7, or Ti, no matter how you label it, is the third in a dominant chord or the root of a leading-tone chord.Both resolve upward to Do. Therefore, this borrowedchord has a dominant function (V or viio) to its resolution chord – the temporary tonic. This secondarychord is identified as a SECONDARY DOMINANT.

How to identify a Secondary Dominant/LT

Building/Resolving Secondary Dominants/LTs

A secondary chord symbol has two parts separated by a slash. The bottom of the chord symbol represents the temporary tonic

and is diatonic to your key. (What the secondary dominant is resolving TO)

The chord symbol on top of the slash represents the chord quality, inversion, and function of this borrowed chord in relation to the temporary tonic, the chord on bottom.

For example, in the key of F Major: V7/V is spelled G – Bn – D – F and is pronounced “V7 OF V.” This chord is expected to resolve to V.

The B natural is the accidental that is an altered note in the key of F major. The bottom roman numeral (F in FM) is C Major (our temporary tonic). The dominant seventh chord or V7 in CM is G – Bn – D – F and it resolves to our temporary tonic C – E – G.

The Map

HomeTonic

I

StoreSubdominant

IV

ParkSubmediant

vi

Excitement-ConflictDominant

V or V7

Meet up with Friends

Supertonicii6

Composers used SECONDARY DOMINANTS to ADD MORE to the journey!

The Map

HomeTonic

I

StoreSubdominant

IV

ParkSubmediant

vi

Excitement-ConflictDominant

V or V7

Meet up with Friends

Supertonicii6

LibrarySecondary dominant

V/vi

BANKSecondary dominant

V/IV

Get some foodSecondary dominant

V7/V

Instead of always using V/.., we can

also use viio/..

The Map – LT Style

HomeTonic

I

StoreSubdominant

IV

ParkSubmediant

vi

Excitement-ConflictDominant

V or V7

Meet up with Friends

Supertonicii6

LibrarySecondary LT

viio7/vi

BANKSecondary LT

vii ø 7/IV

Get some foodSecondary LT

vii ø 7/V

When resolving to a

MAJOR, the LT will be ø –

When Resolving to MINOR, the LT will be o

Example: viio7/vi in Bb Major

This will be a fully-diminished chord because vi in Bb is G minor.The viio7 of G minor is F# - A – C – Eb . F# is the raised 7th in G minor and the altered note that signals you are temporarily out of Bb Major. The F# resolves to G creating the leading-tone relationship.

Eb resolves to D because the 7th always resolves downward!C resolves to Bb because Fa-Mi (Me) in new key. F# resolves to G because Ti-Do in new key.

Example: in Eb Major

This is the dominant seventh chord in first inversion in the key of Ab Major. The chord is spelled Eb – G – Bb – Db and would have G in the bass. The leading-tone relationship occurs between Mi-Fa, already a half step. In this case Db is the accidental that is not in our original key (Eb Major). The leading tone is the third of the chord and resolves to the new tonic Ab and is in the bass.

Example: vii ø7/V in D Major

Example: in E minor

Another way to Visually ID Secondary Dominants

IF you are in a MAJOR key and you analyze a chord asII, THEN think V/VIII, THEN think V/viVI, THEN think V/ii

Most Common Melodic Patterns

Sol-Fi-Sol Fa-Fi-SolFi-SolLa-Si-LaSol-Si-La

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Seco

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Dom

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