The Dominant Seventh Chord

THE DOMINANT
SEVENTH CHORD
Implications
in Root
Position

DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORD (V 7 )
• Consists of a major triad with a minor seventh (Mm7)
• In this construct is a dissonant tritone and a minor seventh
• In minor keys the third of the chord (leading tone) must be
raised and indicated by figured bass accidental in Roman
numeral analysis
• V 7 is a four-tone chord; all tones may be present
• Often the root is doubled and the fifth is omitted

DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORD (V 7 )
• All rules attributed to connecting I – V apply with the
following observations:
• //8 and //5 should be avoided
• P5 - °5 is permitted, as long as the diminished fifth is subsequently
resolved.

VOICE LEADING V 7 - I
• Determined by the need to resolve with dissonant intervals
• Third and Seventh of the V 7 are tendency tones and form a
tritone which must be resolved using the following method
• Normal resolution of seventh is stepwise downward
• The leading tone resolves stepwise to the tonic
• The root of the V 7 moves to the root of tonic
• Strict resolution of the V 7 – in an incomplete V 7 the doubled
root remains stationary; incomplete=double root, no fifth

VOICE LEADING V 7 - I
• The following explanation relates to each chord respectively
• 7 – 3
• 3 – root
• Root - root
Keep common tones in the same voice if possible.

COMPLETE V 7 CHORDS
• Complete V 7 contain all four voices (root – 3 rd – 5 th – 7 th )
• After the tritone of a complete V 7 chord is resolved, the fifth
will be omitted and the root tripled in the I chord.
A complete V 7 chord resolves to an
incomplete tonic (5 th omitted)

INCOMPLETE V 7 CHORDS
• Incomplete V 7 chords lack the chordal 5 th
• Typically the root is doubled
• Resolve the tritone as usual
• Move the root of the V 7 to the root of the tonic
• Maintain a common tone.
An incomplete V 7 chord (5 th omitted)
will resolve to a complete tonic chord
(doubled root, 3 rd , and 5 th )

FREE RESOLUTION OF THE LEADING TONE
• This will ONLY occur if the leading tone is in an inner voice
(tenor or alto).
• The leading tone may skip down a third to the fifth of the
tonic – making both chords complete

EXERCISES
Resolve the following V 7 chords in the given voicing. Indicate the tritone with
brackets and resolve using rules for strict resolution.

EXERCISES
Resolve the following V 7 chords with the given voicing. Indicate the tritone with
brackets. Resolve the leading tone or chord seventh freely.