Is the V chord always Dominant?

[osiris]

I think I'm getting the hang of this now. I'm doing a simple I-IV-V chord progression. Am I right that the V chord is always/usually dominant?
Thanks for any help.

[jopy]

except when it isn't. but yeah, under normal functional harmony the V chord is a dominant 7 and the dominant 7 is the V chord.

[Ogg Vorbis]

I always thought that since it resolves to the tonic, then it ought to be called the "submissive harmony."

[The Chubu]

Cuz harmony is that kinky.

[wrench45us]

I always thought that since it resolves to the tonic, then it ought to be called the "submissive harmony."

It always seemed to me that it's the chord that most 'begs' to be resolved and all the extras/extensions that can be done to the V7 chord just either add or modify that need for resolution

sometimes its useful in looking at a chord sequence to see the destination as the V7 chord and the Tonic is almost anticlimactic

[osiris]

I know you can make it a V7.
I'm doing a verse in d# minor: D#m-G#m-A-D#m.
If the A is major, would that V7 be a major7 or a minor7?
I read all this stuff about music theory and chord progression and get confused, and it all blurs together.

[jopy]

That A should be A# if you want to stay in key, and yes, it will be dominant in this case if you're using functional harmony. It's notated just V7, not Vmaj7 or Vmin7. It's a major triad with a minor seventh added.

Does this answer your question? I am not sure if I'm explaining something you already understand.

[osiris]

Sorry, it's early. Yes, I meant A#.
No Jopy, that's what I was looking for.
It's confusing because in the DAW you have several choices for the 7 chord.

[Nystul]

The chord spelling will make more sense in this case if you think of it as Eb minor instead of D# minor. Because in order to get this dominant seventh harmony, we are raising the seventh scale degree of the minor scale. That traditionally is used as a leading tone back to the tonic. So in Eb minor, the seventh scale degree when raised becomes a D. Then we have Bb7 = Bb D F Ab. But in D# minor, the seventh scale degree when raised becomes a Cx (C double sharp). Then we have A#7 = A# Cx E# G#. You will rarely see a piece written in D# minor, but sometimes it might come up if a piece changes keys.

The traditional V7 chord is the same in major as it is in minor. In C major the V7 is GBDF. In C minor the V7 is still GBDF, with the B being that raised leading tone.

[jancivil]

D# minor has 6 sharps in the sig.
Eb minor has 6 flats in the sig.

Ultimately pretty equal in terms of potential spelling problems. But V is going to be pretty prevalent in harmonic usage so that immediate appearance of a double sharp is a reasonable basis for deciding on a preference for Eb minor.

This reveals why the piano roll in a sequencer is not any basis to teach music theory principles.

There won't be any double sharp in the piano roll. You'll have A# D F for a basic harmony. Which is Unhelpful; already you have to be sorted.

Someone has begun with what appears to be only the piano roll as a basis and is sticking to them sharps - and this: "in the DAW you have several choices for the 7 chord". That isn't meaningful. You have several choices for anything. You're going to have to abstract basic things away from the DAW.

"What 7?" is key-dependent. 'Major' or 'minor' in the Roman number sign is redundant. If it's altered from what's apparent from the key as defined, here is where you'd indicate it.

[osiris]

I do have a 'flat key equivalent chart'. It did say D# was E flat. You're right about the piano roll. FL Studio has this thing now where it analyzes notes and will tell you the key the song's in. It keeps telling me the verse is D# Minor. I don't know if they just don't have a (b) symbol, or what. If you're a novice (like me) or don't have an flat key equivalent chart (like me) it can lead you down some mistaken paths.
You live you learn. I did try the A#7 (actually Bb), and it sounds good, so I'm sticking to it.
There are several choices for the 7 chord on the DAW, and this is the confusion. There's a plain chord marked 7, one marked Major 7 and one marked m7. Don't be too quick to condemn piano rolls, Jan. Or other helpers like the chord feature. It really helps, and I do feel like I learn a little as I doodle along.
Thanks for all your help.

[wrench45us]

There are several choices for the 7 chord on the DAW, and this is the confusion. There's a plain chord marked 7, one marked Major 7 and one marked m7.

There are several choices for 7 chord for dominant 7 -- the plain chord marked 7, Major 7 and m7 -- which would be minor 7.
The tool is not confused. These chords are available. They are approriate choices for chords based on key and scale note. This is very basic theory and even knowing this little bit will be exceedingly useful.

in a major scale
for scale note a 4 note chord (7 chord) is constructed using the notes of the scale

1 use Major 7
2 use Minor 7
3 use Minor 7
4 use Major 7
5 use Dominant 7
6 use Minor 7
7 uses dim 7 that should also be listed

It gets a little messier with minor key, but basically the same construction applies, but the 5 note is a dominant 7.

[jancivil]

Don't be too quick to condemn piano rolls, Jan. Or other helpers like the chord feature. .

I only ever use the piano roll to compose. OTOH I am teaching somone theory right now and I'm not using the piano roll, it isn't the tool for the job in any way. trust me, you're going to have to refer to musical notation to ever begin to understand the basics.

Chord helpers are a crutch you're using before you can even walk on your own two feet.

[JumpingJackFlash]

Am I right that the V chord is always/usually dominant?

Each note of the scale (and therefore each diatonic triad built using those notes as the root) has a particular name:

1st of the scale = Tonic I
2nd of the scale = Supertonic II
3rd of the scale = Mediant III
4th of the scale = Subdominant IV
5th of the scale = Dominant V
6th of the scale = Submediant VI
7th of the scale = Leading Note VII

(NB: Some people refer to the unsharpened 7th of the scale in minor keys as the Subtonic).

So chord V in any key is called the dominant.

It may or may not have a seventh added. Just as there are different types of triad (major, minor, diminished or augmented), so too there are different types of seventh chords (major sevenths, minor sevenths, diminished sevenths, dominant sevenths, etc.) It depends on the gap (interval) between the notes involved.

For more information see An Introduction to Music Theory and Scales, Modes and Chords.

If you wish to stay completely in key, you confine yourself to one seventh for each of the diatonic chords. So, adding a diatonic seventh to chord V produces a Dominant Seventh chord (eg. G-B-D-F is V7 in C major). However, if you which to use some chromatic notes, then you could make that a major seventh (G-B-D-F#), a minor seventh (G-Bb-D-F) or something else.

7 uses dim 7 that should also be listed

Technically, this would be a half-diminished seventh (rather rare).

[osiris]

This song is a nightmare. It was a very fast rock song (180 bpm), and I told the band I really liked it. I could hear it as a trance song. I got the vocals and did the bpm magic in FL Studio to get it to 140 bpm. Still sounded great, but, since it's a kind of crazy rock song, with kind of crazy rock vocals, the verse is in E flat minor, but the chorus is G flat minor. I'm having a real problem transitioning from the verse to the chorus.