LESSON #3Dominant and Sub-Dominant chords In this third lesson, I would like to introduce some musical
terms. Again we are defining our 'terms of reference' and guitar lessons, by neccesity, continue this process constantly.
What I would like for you to do is this. Imagine that a guitar tune, or progression, is really a
description of a journey. You set out from 'home' and progress from place to place until you eventually 'resolve' the journey by going 'home' again.
This 'home' can be seen to be the key that you are playing in. For example,
if you were playing in the key of 'C' (C, F, & G,) home would be the chord 'C.'
This business of resolving is known as 'musical cadence.' As an experiment, try playing the chord of 'F' followed by the chord of 'C'
(home.) Now try playing the chord of 'G' followed by the home chord. Can you 'hear' the added tension in the G to C journey? The resolution between G and C is much stronger than the resolution between F and C.
For this
reason, the G chord (in the key of C) is known as the DOMINANT chord. The F chord (only in the key of C) is known as the SUB-DOMINANT chord.
Let's look at it again in the key of 'A' (A, D, & E.) Thus A is the home (root)
chord. Can you decide which is the DOMINANT and which is the SUB-DOMINANT from the remaining two chords (D & E)? Try playing D to A. Now try E to A. Which one has the stronger (DOMINANT) resolution?
Well, in the key of 'A,' D is the SUB-DOMINANT chord and E is the DOMINANT chord. Could you tell?
The Relative Minor There is a third musical term which I would like to introduce at this time and that is the idea of the RELATIVE MINOR. This
means, a MINOR chord which is RELATED to the home chord.
In the key of 'C' the RELATIVE MINOR chord is Am (A minor.) You have come across this in the song 'House of the Rising Sun.'
So, in the key of 'C,' we now have 4 specific chords and chord types, these are...
C, the ROOT chord
F, the SUB-DOMINANT chord
G, the DOMINANT chord, and...
Am, the RELATIVE MINOR chord
We could arrange these 4 chords into a 'kind of' 4 chord trick, like so...
C . . / . . Am . . / . . F . . / . . G . . / . .
C . . / . . Am . . / . . F . . / . . G . . / . .
The Dominant 7One further 'trick.' To emphasise the DOMINANT-ness of the DOMINANT chord, it is a usual 'trick' to turn it into a DOMINANT 7 type chord.
Here are the progressions in the keys we looked at previously with their added relative minor chords and dominant 7's...
Here it is in the 'key' of D...
(D) (G) (A7) And... (Bm)
E---------2------ E---------3------ E----0----(3)-- E---------2------
B---------3------ B---------0------ B----2----(2)-- B---------3------
G---------2------ G---------0------ G----0----(2)-- G---------4------
D---------0------ D---------0------ D----2----(2)-- D---------4------
A---------X------ A---------2------ A----0----(0)-- A---------2------
E---------X------ E---------3------ E----X----(X)-- E---------X------
D . . / . . Bm . . / . . G . . / . . A7 . . / . .
D . . / . . Bm . . / . . G . . / . . A7 . . / . .
in the key of G...
(G) (C) (D7) And... (Em)
E---------3------ E---------0------ E---------2------ E---------0------
B---------0------ B---------1------ B---------1------ B---------0------
G---------0------ G---------0------ G---------2------ G---------0------
D---------0------ D---------2------ D---------0------ D---------2------
A---------2------ A---------3------ A---------X------ A---------2------
E---------3------ E---------X------ E---------X------ E---------0------
G . . / . . Em . . / . . C . . / . . D7 . . / . .
G . . / . . Em . . / . . C . . / . . D7 . . / . .
in the key of A...
(A) (D) (E7) And... (F#m)
E---------0------ E---------2------ E----0----(0)-- E---------2------
B---------2------ B---------3------ B----3----(0)-- B---------2------
G---------2------ G---------2------ G----1----(1)-- G---------2------
D---------2------ D---------0------ D----2----(0)-- D---------4------
A---------0------ A---------X------ A----2----(2)-- A---------4------
E---------X------ E---------X------ E----0----(0)-- E---------2------
A . . / . . F#m . . / . . D . . / . . E7 . . / . .
A . . / . . F#m . . / . . D . . / . . E7 . . / . .
And finally, in the key of E...
(E) (A) (B7) And... (C#m)
E---------0------ E---------0------ E----2----(5)-- E---------4------
B---------0------ B---------2------ B----4----(4)-- B---------5------
G---------1------ G---------2------ G----2----(4)-- G---------6------
D---------2------ D---------2------ D----4----(4)-- D---------6------
A---------2------ A---------0------ A----2----(2)-- A---------4------
E---------0------ E---------X------ E----X----(X)-- E---------X------
E . . / . . C#m . . / . . A . . / . . B7 . . / . .
E . . / . . C#m . . / . . A . . / . . B7 . . / . .
Note: I have put alternative fingerings for some of the chords in (parenthesis) brackets. This may make things a little easier for you.
|
