Secondary dominants are chords that are altered to sound like dominants (which are the fifth scale degrees

of diatonic scales). This means changing minor triads to make them major and changing seventh chords

or make them major-minor seventh chords.

Characteristics of Secondary Dominants:

1. To be a secondary dominant, a chord must be either a major triad or a major-

minor seventh chord. Slashes (/) are read as of. Therefore, V/vi becomes V of vi.

2. Secondary dominants are called altered chords because they contain nondiatonic

tones (tones that are not found in the prevailing key). Secondary dominants are

created out of diatonic chords that have been changed to make them major.

3. Because secondary dominants are temporarily raised to the status of dominant they naturally resolve to their temporary tonic, just as primary dominants (V) resolve to tonic (I). Thus, most often secondary dominants move in circle progressions V/vi to vi, V/ii to ii, and V/V to V.

The V/V chord resolved to the V chord.

4. In circle progressions, the chord to which secondary dominants progress is called a tonicized chord. When V/ii progresses to ii, the ii triad is the tonicized chord. Notice

that only major and minor chords can function as tonicized chords.

**The chords that are being pointed to are the tonicized

chords.**

5. Secondary dominants may occasionally

follow other secondary dominants as long

as it eventually resolves to the temporary

tonic chord.

V/iii V/vi V/ii V/V V

6. Secondary dominants may be inverted.

6 6 6 6 6

7. The secondary dominant triad of IV is simply the tonic (I), so I is not called a

secondary dominant (there are no altered pitches). However, V7/IV in C major

contains one altered note, so it is listed as a secondary dominant.

b

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The voice leading of secondary dominant chords is the same as for primary

dominant chords. Resolve the seventh of the V7 chord down one scale degree in the same voice. All four factors of the V7 are usually present. But, for smoothness of

voice leading, the fifth may be omitted and the root doubled.

Because leading-tone chords are often used as dominant substitutes, they also may

function as temporary leading-tone chords–leading-tone-sounding chords in a

key other than the prevailing key. Basically the secondary dominant leading-tone chord is resolving to its tonic which

then resolves to the tonic of the root.

V7/V V I

Characteristics of Secondary Leading-Tone Chords:

1. Secondary leading-tone chords have only three qualities:

Diminished Triad – viio/

Diminished-minor seventh chord – viiø7/

Diminished-diminished seventh chord – viio7/

2. Like secondary dominants, secondary leading-tone chords are called altered chords because they contain nondiatonic tones. Secondary leading-tone chords are created out of diatonic chords that have been changed to make them diminished, diminished-minor, or diminished-diminished.

3. Because they are temporarily raised to the status of leading-tone chords, these

chords naturally resolve to their temporary tonic, just as primary dominants resolve to their tonic. Secondary dominants do not normally move in circle progressions but resolve to a major triad whose root is a half step above that of the secondary

leading-tone chord.

viio7/ii ii viio7/iii iii viio7/IV IV viio7/V V

viio7/vi vi

4. Secondary leading-tone chords create a leading-tone relationship with diatonic

major and minor triads:

~In major keys: ii, iii, IV, V, vi

~In minor keys: III, iv, V, VI

5. When secondary leading-tone chords resolve in a conventional manner, the resolution chord is called a tonicized

chord. When viio7/V resolves to V, the V triad is called a tonicized chord.

6. Secondary leading-tone chords occasionally follow other leading-tone chords. In these cases, conventional

resolution is often impossible.

VI viio7 viio43 i6

The voice leading of secondary leading-tones is the same as for primary leading-

tone chords. The tritone should be resolved inward if a diminished 5th or

outward if a augmented 4th, although its not always possible. Resolve the

diminished 7th down one diatonic scale degree. Move all voices with as much

step movement as possible.