(For Those with No Sense of Humor

Secondary

Dominoes!!!

(for those with no sense of humor,

this is about Secondary Dominants)

OK, we know that in the key of C, this chord

is the Dominant (V).

It goes to this chord (I)

So, we could say it is the “V” of the “I,” right? That’s because it’s the Dominant (V) of the “C” (I) chord.

Now, suppose we put that “G” chord in another key like this:

It would still want to go here

only NOW, the C chord is no longer a “I,” it is a V in F Major! Yikes! That means that the “G” chord is no longer a V of I, but it’s a V of (gulp) V!!!

That’s right! And you know what? Secondary Dominants can happen with every major or minor chord. For example:

We ain’t done yet! Turn the page...

How to Smell Spell Us!

1.  Find the root of the chord to be tonicized. Ex.: You want a V/V (say this, “Five of Five”) in C Major. So...what is V in C? (Ans. it’s Gee!)

2.  Go up a P5 (G...A...B...C...D)

3.  Us this as the root, spell a Major triad (V/X) or a Mm7 chord (V7/X). So...D F# A = V/V and D F# A C = V7/V

How to Know us Intimately!

1.  Look for a chord that doesn’t fit in the key (ex. D F# A in the key of C Major)

2.  Is it a major triad or a Mm7 chord? (if not, then skip it, we haven’t studied it yet)

3.  Find the note a P5 below the root of the weird chord (ex. D F# A – D C B A G )

4.  Would a major or minor triad belong in this key? If so...ding, ding, ding!!...it’s a Secondary Dominant! ( of G B D – a V in C!)

Now for the Really Good News!

Sorry, no good news. It only gets harder from here on out.

Yes, you CAN do it.