V of V Secondary Dominant Pattern
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We're going to talk about the V of V secondary dominant chord. It's a chord that doesn't belong in the key of the music, but it is related. This example is in F major. The V chord in F major is C major. C major has a G major chord, but F major does not. No problem, we'll borrow the G major chord from the key of C major, and stick it in front of the C major chord to make it sound even more C-major-sh. Then we'll go back to the key of F. The whole thing will be heard as an event in the key of F major because there is only a brief moment where it uses a note that's not in the key of F.
Here's an example using F major, D minor, G minor, G and C major.
This is really useful if you want to highlight the V chord. So try to learn these patterns and apply them to your playing.
The secondary dominant for a V chord is the dominant chord from that key built on the V.
Example Chord Progression
In the key of F major, the I chord is F and the V chord is C.
If we want to create a tonicizationA method of composition which, usually temporarily, gives rise to the feeling that the tonal center has changed. For instance, the VImin can be tonicized by preceding it with the V/VI secondary dominant chord. of the C chord, we can use the dominant (V) chord from its key. That chord would be G major. Since the G major chord cannot be found in the key of F, when we hear it followed by a C chord, we will hear this resolution as a secondary dominant if the rest of the chords are in F.
Creating the G major chord requires raising the B♭ from the IImin chord of F to B♮, creating a clear V/V chord.
This chord can optionally be played as a dominant seventh, but the “key note” that makes it a secondary dominant is the B. The seventh of the chord, F, is the same—regardless of whether the chord is a IImin or a V/V.
This chord has a bit cheerful sound due to the fact that it introduces a “Lydian” note (♯4) into the key. It can be heard in the melody of the national anthem of the USA: “and our flag was still there”.
Example
| Function | I | VImin | IImin | V/V | V |
| Chord | F | Dmin | Gmin | G | C |
| Chord Source | F major | F major | F major | C major | F major |
The Chords
Fmaj
F Major scale
Dmin
D Aeolian scale (From F Major)
Gmin
G Dorian Scale (From D Major)
Gmaj
G Mixolydian Scale (From C Major)
Cmaj
C Mixolydian scale (From F Major)
Key Exercises
- Learn, memorize, and apply the patterns.
- Play the chords using stop time stop time and use the provided scales to improvise.
As the creator of Hub Guitar, Grey has compiled hundreds of guitar lessons, written several books, and filmed hundreds of video lessons. He teaches private lessons in his Boston studio, as well as via video chat through TakeLessons.