Question - Re The 5th Step In A Key

[thereshopeyet]

What is the characteristic of the 5th step chord in a key when played as a Dominant or 7th chord
that makes it more available to create tension pulling back to the tonic compared with
the other steps in a key?

[Music Junkie]

Dermot:

It might have something to do with the fact that it is a 7th and not a major 7th. The 7th is flatted (word?) which brings a bit more dissonance to the chord. As far as why it works, you are way over my head. My old guitar instructor once told me, and Neil elduded to it once as well, that it all had to do with "overtones".... :unsure:

MJ

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks

[schm040]

Great question. I lie in bed at night thinking about these things.

What I thought was really cool was Neil the other day talking about relative minors in the Hold on For Your Love lesson.

It blew me away that the B7 was acting as a dominant 7 because it is the 5th step in the key E, the relative minor for the key of G.

I used some deduction and figured out for the relative minor key of C major (Am) that dominant chord is E / E7.

For D major and Bm, its F/ F7 etc.....

Not sure if this make any sense but, as Neil said before, the more you hear these things they start to sink in.

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks

[schm040]

I know Em is the relative minor to G, its just how I wrote it, it sounded funny.

I will check out the Angel From Montgomery lesson again, I love John Prine.

Thanks.

No worries.

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks

[Music Junkie]

thereshopeyet wrote:

These ear training lessons I find challenging.
I found it difficult to "Hear" the key chord at the beginning of Angel of Montgomery - John Prine
Neil does explain why during the lesson why but even with that knowledge I find it difficult to separate
the sound to hear the key chord. Listen to the beginning of that song ... can you identify that chord.

After the playthrough Neil says ..... Got that most of you will by now ...... mmmmm

Dermot:

My biggest problem, is identifying the key of a song most of the time.... :unsure: I am always amazed when someone will listen to a song for 5-10 seconds and then tell me the key of the song..... I am simply not there yet. Once I stumble onto the key, I can usually get a decent transcription from there. Although borrowed chords will throw me from time to time. Also, when there are other instruments and signing going on, I will tend to get Am & C mixed up as well as D & Bm and G & Em. Something is just off in my ear in those areas I guess. That is where gaining a better understanding of how certain chords numbers are used to set up other chord numbers would be very helpful. So, for now, I struggle and have fun with it.... B)

J

[AndyT]

Why does a 7th chord sound the way it does and what part of the sound makes it "dominant"?

Not sure if I can explain this clearly or not...

If we are in the key of C, then C is called a 'stable' chord since it is the tonic.
The more we change the spelling of the chord, the more unstable it gets.
The more unstable it is, the more it tries to 'fall over' into the tonic.

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks