Understanding Secondary Dominants 

Welcome to our guide on secondary dominants in music theory! Secondary dominants play a significant role in adding colour and richness to musical compositions, offering an intriguing harmonic dimension to melodies. They are a little complex to understand, so if you don’t quite follow the text, watch the videos at the bottom of this page.

What Are Secondary Dominants?

Understanding Secondary Dominants is not easy, but they are well worth the effort because they sound so lucious!  Secondary dominants are chords that function as temporary or secondary tonics within a musical piece. They are dominant seventh chords that resolve to a chord other than the tonic (the key’s main chord). These chords are borrowed from keys related to the current key, creating harmonic tension and adding a sense of excitement or surprise in the music.

How Do Secondary Dominants Work?

In music theory, secondary dominants are usually represented by Roman numerals followed by the number 5/7 (V7). For instance, in the key of C major, the dominant chord is G major (V). However, a secondary dominant could be introduced by temporarily using the dominant chord of any other chord in the key, creating a leading tone to that chord. For example, in the key of C major, introducing a D major (V/V) chord would create tension that resolves to the G major chord, amplifying its pull back to the tonic, C major.

Implementing Secondary Dominants in Music

Musicians and composers often utilise secondary dominants to enhance harmonic progression, create interest, and heighten emotional impact in compositions. Understanding and effectively employing secondary dominants can lead to captivating chord progressions and more diverse musical landscapes.

Origins of We Wish You  a Merry Christmas

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” stands as one of the most beloved and enduring Christmas carols globally, dating back to the 16th century in England. The song’s origins trace to the West Country of England, where it was traditionally sung by carolers visiting homes during the Christmas season.

Secondary Dominants Lesson in 4 Simple Steps 

Application to We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Secondary Dominants are great for reharmonisation in piano improvisation or organ improvisation as they sound strong and positive, bright and colourful!

What is a secondary dominant?

(1) Find any note of the scale (we shall call it “z”),

(2) Count up 5 notes of the scale (the note you chose counts as number 1) and you have the dominant of z,

Alternately – count 7 semitone steps from note “z” (the first note in this case is number 0),

(3) Create a major chord on this note, perhaps add a minor 7th above the root (10 semitones up, count the root as number 0). This is your secondary dominant.

(4) Next play a chord above the bass note ‘z’.

I try We Wish You a Merry Christmas, start in F, use a secondary dominant of ii (D7-Gm), of V (G7-C), of vi (A7-Dm), and of IV (F7-Bb).

What Christmas melody can you reharmonise in your piano improvisations or organ improvisations with secondary dominants? I’d love to hear!

Conclusion

Secondary dominants offer a captivating and dynamic way to explore harmonic movement in music, elevating compositions by introducing temporary tonics and enriching harmonic progressions. By incorporating these chords judiciously, composers and musicians can add depth, intrigue, and excitement to their musical arrangements.