The Dominant Seventh Chord
The Dominant Seventh Chord
The Dominant Seventh Chord
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THE DOMINANT<br />
SEVENTH CHORD<br />
Implications<br />
in Root<br />
Position
DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORD (V 7 )<br />
• Consists of a major triad with a minor seventh (Mm7)<br />
• In this construct is a dissonant tritone and a minor seventh<br />
• In minor keys the third of the chord (leading tone) must be<br />
raised and indicated by figured bass accidental in Roman<br />
numeral analysis<br />
• V 7 is a four-tone chord; all tones may be present<br />
• Often the root is doubled and the fifth is omitted
DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORD (V 7 )<br />
• All rules attributed to connecting I – V apply with the<br />
following observations:<br />
• //8 and //5 should be avoided<br />
• P5 - °5 is permitted, as long as the diminished fifth is subsequently<br />
resolved.
VOICE LEADING V 7 - I<br />
• Determined by the need to resolve with dissonant intervals<br />
• Third and <strong>Seventh</strong> of the V 7 are tendency tones and form a<br />
tritone which must be resolved using the following method<br />
• Normal resolution of seventh is stepwise downward<br />
• <strong>The</strong> leading tone resolves stepwise to the tonic<br />
• <strong>The</strong> root of the V 7 moves to the root of tonic<br />
• Strict resolution of the V 7 – in an incomplete V 7 the doubled<br />
root remains stationary; incomplete=double root, no fifth
VOICE LEADING V 7 - I<br />
• <strong>The</strong> following explanation relates to each chord respectively<br />
• 7 – 3<br />
• 3 – root<br />
• Root - root<br />
Keep common tones in the same voice if possible.
COMPLETE V 7 CHORDS<br />
• Complete V 7 contain all four voices (root – 3 rd – 5 th – 7 th )<br />
• After the tritone of a complete V 7 chord is resolved, the fifth<br />
will be omitted and the root tripled in the I chord.<br />
A complete V 7 chord resolves to an<br />
incomplete tonic (5 th omitted)
INCOMPLETE V 7 CHORDS<br />
• Incomplete V 7 chords lack the chordal 5 th<br />
• Typically the root is doubled<br />
• Resolve the tritone as usual<br />
• Move the root of the V 7 to the root of the tonic<br />
• Maintain a common tone.<br />
An incomplete V 7 chord (5 th omitted)<br />
will resolve to a complete tonic chord<br />
(doubled root, 3 rd , and 5 th )
FREE RESOLUTION OF THE LEADING TONE<br />
• This will ONLY occur if the leading tone is in an inner voice<br />
(tenor or alto).<br />
• <strong>The</strong> leading tone may skip down a third to the fifth of the<br />
tonic – making both chords complete
EXERCISES<br />
Resolve the following V 7 chords in the given voicing. Indicate the tritone with<br />
brackets and resolve using rules for strict resolution.
EXERCISES<br />
Resolve the following V 7 chords with the given voicing. Indicate the tritone with<br />
brackets. Resolve the leading tone or chord seventh freely.