Scales, Keys & Modes

Dominant

Pronounced DOM-ih-nunt

Definition

The dominant is the fifth degree of a scale, a perfect fifth above the tonic: G in C major, E in A minor. Its chord, V or V7, pulls strongly back to the tonic and drives most cadences.

The dominant is scale degree 5: G in C major, E in A minor. In major and do-based minor solfège it is sol (or so); in la-based minor it is mi. After the tonic, it is the most important note of a key, as its name suggests.

Two treble-clef examples in 4/4. C major: quarter notes C D E F G A B C, numbered 1 to 8, with the word dominant written under G. A minor: A B C D E F G A, numbered 1 to 8, with dominant under E. — The dominant is degree 5, a perfect fifth above the tonic: G in C major and E in A minor.

Tonic and dominant

The dominant sits a perfect fifth above the tonic, the most stable interval after the octave. That makes it a strong second pole. Melodies often travel from the tonic out to the dominant and back, and simple bass lines alternate between the two: think of a march or a polka, with the bass going C, G, C, G. The tonic is home; the dominant is the point where you are most clearly away and on your way back.

The dominant chord

The triad on the dominant is G B D in C major, written V. It contains the leading tone (B), which pulls up to the tonic. Add a 7th, F, and it becomes the dominant seventh chord (V7), whose F pulls down to E. Those two tendencies converge on the tonic chord, which is why V7–I is usually heard as the strongest progression in tonal music. It makes the authentic cadence, the musical full stop; a phrase that pauses on V makes a half cadence, a comma.

Two grand-staff examples in 4/4, one bar each. First: a half-note G7 chord (F G B over bass G) moving to C major (E G C over bass C), labeled V7 and I. Second: E major (E G-sharp B over bass E) moving to A minor (E A C over bass A), labeled V and i. — Left: in C major, G7 (V7) resolves to C (I). B rises to C and F falls to E. Right: in A minor, the dominant chord is E major (V) thanks to the raised G♯, which rises to A in the tonic chord (i).

In a minor key, the dominant chord needs a raised 7th degree to be major: E G♯ B in A minor. That is why minor keys take the leading tone from the harmonic minor scale; without it the chord would be E minor (v) and its pull toward the tonic much weaker.

The C major scale numbered by degree, with the dominant, G, in coral.

Dominant as a key

The word also names a key. The dominant key of C major is G major, and it is the most common destination when a major-key piece modulates. In sonata form, the second theme of a major-key exposition usually appears in the dominant key.

Dominant as a chord type

In jazz and pop, "dominant" often just means a dominant seventh chord, wherever it appears: C7, A7 and D7 are all called dominant chords, even when they are not built on degree 5. A secondary dominant functions as V or V7 of a temporarily tonicized chord other than the main tonic: D7 leading to G in C major is V7/V. A main-key dominant that resolves deceptively, such as G7 to Am in C major, is still the primary dominant.

Common questions

What is the dominant note of a key?

The 5th degree of its scale, a perfect fifth above the tonic: G in C major, D in G major, E in A minor.

What is the difference between V and V7?

V is the triad on the dominant (G B D in C major). V7 adds a 7th on top (G B D F), which forms a tritone with the leading tone and gives an even stronger pull to the tonic chord.