Thanks to Hook Theory for sponsoring this video. For a limited time you can get 20% off lifetime access to Hook Theory when you follow this link: www.hooktheory.com/davidbennett 🎼
I’ve got both Hook Theory books. They’re super awesome. I’ve got the Hook Pad but I haven’t used it much-but I still plan to. They’re written (vs video) but the examples are similar to here. The books start out extremely simple but by the end of the first book, it’s become somewhat challenging. About midway into the second it gets very deep. So from very simple to extremely challenging. With great examples and little quizzes to test your knowledge. Super awesome.
I don't know if you'd be interested in this for like a video idea, cause it's not very music theory-ish, but I noticed this weird trend in alot of pop songs where the lead into the chorus starts with "and she/he said" or "and I said". Blinding Lights by the wknd, love story by Taylor swift, cool kids by echo Smith, semi charmed kind of life, shut up and dance, don't look back in anger kind of. It's like a lesser version of that thing where alot of songs use the word tonight at the end of their chorus.
David is elite but never elitist. Name another music theory teacher who will throw both Radiohead and Dolly Parton at you as examples. Thanks for being normal about it. So much music appreciation or education is buiilt on elitism or "high art". The secondary message of this video is "music is music," regardless of popularity or cultural context. That's a great message.
Actually, it’s not important to me whom he uses as examples, as long as I can _hear_ what he’s talking about in them, although it is helpful if the references are familiar to me, as I am thereby acquainted with their function in the rest of the piece. And I guess that’s the point of being eclectic: the broader the range he draws from, the more likely he is to access something familiar in each viewer’s experience.
Never really thought about why Mr. Sandman is SOOO satisfying, but it totally makes when you think about it. Yo dawg, I hear you like perfect cadences.
That’s known as “Barbershop Harmony.” Barbershop Quartets typically sang consecutive and unresolved dominant seventh chords which conveniently have four pitches in them. Usually these chords followed the Circle of Fourths to the tonic, but sometimes they went almost Wagnerian. Ragtime also used consecutive and unresolved dominant sevenths.
If you like Mr. Sandman, here’s a version with some even more adventurous chord excursions, with genius lyrics as well. m.ruclips.net/video/k99bMtg4zRk/видео.html
It's absurd how boomers like me passed 40 years trying to understand things that David explains in 15 minutes. That's outrageous!!! Thanks so much, Dave, anyways. That is mastering in teaching, not even mantioning the overwelming acumulus of knowledge.
I first saw "Mr. Sandman" at the bottom of the screen and my brain said "Oh, Metallica." Then after two seconds my brain over-corrected course and made me think "Mr. Sandman, man me a sand."
It's no secret that Muse are big fans of the secondary dominant, but I think one of my favourite uses of it by them is "Survival". It's one of those songs where the key centre itself is fairly ambiguous, but it really feels like they try to bring out that unresolved feeling that comes with a secondary dominant. The main chord progression goes Bb -> Bb+ -> Ebm -> Ebm/F# -> B -> F# and then repeats.
The last part of "15 minutes" by the strokes is just chaining secondary dominants together and therefore using all 12 major chords in the process, its cool
YES !!! I listen to that song all the time, because that part just feels too epic. I couldn't really describe what i was hearing, because i don't have perfect pitch, but i knew something interesting was happening. So cool too know!
I can’t believe this even has a name. I’ve always been drawn to songs that use this, especially the first kind, but I never knew how to describe it. When I taught myself piano I just used to hear it as a logical, emotive jump between chords, and I noticed it in so many muse tracks growing up. Also, Creep by Radiohead would sound great with G, B, Em, C albeit a much more common chord progression.
@@peterphann i kinda had the opposite experience, i was just learning about second dominant in music theory and i had no idea that they are this common, like i hadn't even ever noticed it. i guess i should start paying nore attention to what i hear in music
The best video on secondary dominants on the Internet. No nonsense, just, here's what they are, and here's some examples. That's all a budding artist needs. Thank you DBP!
I think of them (having not known they had a name until now) as a very Bowie thing. Drive In Saturday and All The Young Dudes immediately spring to mind.
Yes it uses the Major version of the VI chord on ‘To the girl with the mousey hair’, ‘as she walks through her sunken dream’, ‘and Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow’, and ‘From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads’. Also it uses the secondary dominant built on the tonic in the pre-chorus, which is in Db Major on the ‘As they ask her to focus on’ and ‘As I ask you to focus on’.
I believe another great example of use of a secondary dominate is in the chords progression of “She’s Electric” by Oasis. E major, G sharp dominant 7, C sharp minor, followed by A major makes a truly beautiful progression. Awesome vid!
So I have a saxophone student who asks really interesting theory questions. This week he asked me why he had an accidental in his music, and I could tell that he could tell something was happening there. It was obvious to me that it was a secondary dominant progression just from the melody. So I explained the concept to him. What a coincidence that you did this video on the same day!! I'm definitely going to recommend your channel to him because I think he'll get a lot out of it!
Years of tension trying to resolve my understanding of secondary dominants resolved in 15 minutes. This clarity of teaching used to only be available to middle class people who could afford private lessons.
Steve Goodman uses a secondary dominant in 'City of New Orleans': the verse section ends on the I chord, but the chorus begins on the IV. To smoothen this transition, the I briefly turns into a I7, which resolves to the IV and serves to "kick-start" the next progression.
Queen also uses the V/iii chord in The March Of The Black Queen, one of their earlier songs (and my personal favourite!), which is similar to Bohemian Rhapsody in many ways, sometimes being called Bohemian Rhapsody's older sibling. During the guitar solo in C major after the first chorus, a B major chord is used as a secondary dominant to lead to an E major chord, which sets up a return to the next section in the relative key of A minor. After the second chorus, the B chord is used almost the same way, except that it leads to an E minor chord instead of a major chord, as the song goes into its next section. During the instrumental break near the end (also in C major), the B chord is used as a dominant chord (not a secondary dominant) for a sudden modulation into E major for the coda. Very cool stuff, the V/iii is definitely my favourite secondary dominant.
…I’ve always been internally struggling as to whether Back Queen or White Queen was Queens best song… aaah the struggle between Freddie and Brian. In your face creativity explosion or haunting subtlety building into a dramatic crescendo of harmonies. So hard to choose.
I really needed this video right now in my life. got In sort of a rut in a few songs with transitioning between parts. your videos are always so easy to understand and the examples help a lot. love what you do mate, thanks for everything.
Third chord “resolving” to the 2 minor chord is a lovely sound. New light by John Mayer has a B7 that resolves to an Am, for example. When playing a 2/5/1, it’s always nice to add the major third chord before returning to the progression. So in C it could be something like: Dmin9-G7-Cmaj7-E7
In the popular music and jazz of the 1920s, most song progressions consisted largely of secondary dominants - perpetual secondary dominants, that is, as songs like Five Foot Two, Sweet Georgia Brown, etc. progressed through the cycle of fifths - or at least segments of the cycle.
Hooktheory is the perfect sponsor for this video! (They're my go-to choice for finding out what songs have similar chords if it's a progression I'm not as familiar with - including most of the ones with secondary dominants.)
Great video, David. Do you know "Choro", an instrumental brazilian music genre? I think you could like it. It's like our version of Jazz, and it have a lot of exemples of secondary dominants. Also you can find a a lot of Neapolitan chords too. If you don't know this music, give it a chance. I suggest, for start, Doce de côco (coconut candy), de Jacob do Bandolim. Abraços!
Check out Baden Powell's Live at the Rio Jazz Club. There's a track on the back half that I think may've influenced Radiohead. You'll know it when you hear it.
The beautiful melody and chord progression of MGMT’s Loss Of Life is another example of the use of a secondary dominant chord progression when moving from E to Am (ii chord in the key of G major). Incredible explanation - thank you for the video!
Nobody Knows You (When You're Down & Out) uses several secondary dominant movements. Thanks for explaining why this is such a totally satisfying progression.
secondary dominants were my gateway drug to music theory. it's so easy to go from them, to thinking "what if there were a secondary subdominant? a whole secondary chord progression?" and before you know it, you're a full on music nerd.
Three great secondary dominants are in the verses of What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, the verse of Only You by The Platters, and in the bridge of Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley. Chaining dominants using the circle of fifths is also part of the ragtime turnaround, and one of the best parts of chaining dominants is that you get chromatic voice leading of the 3rd and 7ths (and their inversions) making it very easy to imply a chain of dominants with a chromatic walk down.
Interesting thing about Mr Sandman- back in the 1950s- it contains a possible "whistle blower" lyric about d2bw and rnraw (remote neuron writing) as crazy as that may sound in the lyric "please turn on your magic beam" - as if a particle beam could somehow convince a person to be attracted to another person. powerful stuff- keep up the good work laddies and ladies!
I have watched so many videos trying to understand secondary dominants and for some reason it just evaded my understanding but this video made it just click so easily for me. Nice job man!
That Mr Sandman example with the string of secondary dominants in a row, is what we call circle of 5ths motion in barbershop harmony. A circle of 5ths chart is a handy tool for quickly identifying which 7th chord you want to lead you to the desired resolution.
I really appreciate all of the work that goes into your videos David. Not only the knowledge that you have, but your ability to explain complex concepts simply and provide so many example. I'm sure it takes a lot of effort to put it all together. Thanks for helping me get more out of my love of music!
I immediately thought of "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys. That song starts with the progression G, E, (secondary dominant), Am, F, D. Another is "Good Lovin'" when it comes to that little pre-chorus. I think it is a II7 V7 I progression.
I’ve read the phrase “secondary dominant” so many times and glazed over. Thanks to your video, I now know that I’ve heard (and used!) this technique many times over. Cheers!
It will take lots of time for some of these historic secondary dominants to sink in. Just thinking I’ve heard them for years but never had a word for them
They're used a lot, and in interesting ways in bluesy songs, such as "Georgia on My Mind" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out." In "Georgia" it opens I - III7 (secondary dominant) - vi. Then later (old sweet song) it goes I - VI7 (secondary dominant) - II7 (secondary dominant) - V7 - and the turnaround is a cycle of 5ths, III7 - VI7 - II7 - V7. "Nobody Knows You" also has a lot of interesting uses.
Secondary dominants are a really clever trick. There is a tutorial on yt on how to write jazzy progressions and all he does is put a secondary dominant between chords. One of my favs Mac Ayres uses them a lot.
9:15 Ah, yes, "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" I know this sequence as the ukulele vamp, because of its ubiquity in ukulele music. George Formby's "When I'm Cleaning Windows", for example, is in G major and uses: G -> B7 -> E7 -> A7 -> D -> D7 -> G.
This is one of those things that I could identify upon hearing it in a song as “a cool and interesting chord change I’ve heard before,” but I don’t think I’d be able to connect it to the other songs I’ve heard it in. This has been really cool to watch! Cheers :)
I have to thank you for this wonderful explanation of secondary dominants. It is one of those concepts I never quite grasped when I was younger and would use it in a composition but not realise what it was or the options available. It's so helpful to have musical examples as well. Brilliant!
David, your channel is literally the one music-related thing I have been waiting to find for about 10 years! Not joking! Awesome content. Keep up the great work!
I watched this twice when it came out and could only conclude that the “secondary dominant” was a nonsense term for overanalyzing brief glimpses of modality, into which the composer usually stumbled by accident in the first place. Since then, I’ve been noticing secondary dominants in many of the songs I play routinely. 🤦♂️ I still don’t think I have a perfect grasp on it, but I can recognize when I’m wrong. You’re doing a great job of teaching me this stuff. Keep up the good work!
I was brought to this video today from your other Secondary Dominant video, and once again, you've explained things so well - before now, I thought the SD was the III7 chord - now I know there are loads of SDs, and all easily identifiable in popular music! It's particularly interesting how different SDs have fallen into and out of favour (e.g. you mention the SD VI7 resolving to the II found more in pre-1990's music). Lastly, your example of Creep threw me, as I thought I HAD to resolve to the perfect fifth root. Food for thought and experimentation, thank you!
I was trying to understand my usage of a VI major chord in a song I'm writing, because I didn't really know where to take it from there. It necer occurred to me to see it as a secondary dominant! This might help me finish the song and take it in a more unexpected direction. Great stuff!
David's videos are always so interesting and erudite without being pretentious / pedantic etc. Way to go. For an example I'll choose the same chords as "All You Need is Love" (1:16). In "Song for a Winter's Night" by Gordon Lightfoot (key of G), the end of the verse normally goes from G chord ("on this") to D chord ("winter's night with") back to G ("you"). But on the last verse instead it goes from G chord ("and to be") to D chord ("once again with") but then to B7 Em (you ___) giving that "All You *Need* ..." kind of lift before repeating the resolving G-D-G pattern at the very end ("and to be once again with you").
Beautiful songs. Although "I Will Survive" has a chord progression that goes down in fifths, the chords are not dominant chords, and are all diatonic - they belong to the key of the song. "killing me softly" is quite similiar. It's true that it has a chain of major chords a fifth down from each other, and I agree they have a dominant chain flavor to them, but if you check it you see none of them has a seventh, and they all naturally belong to the key of the song.
David, this by far the best explanation of secondary dominants I have seen. Clear, organized, well-paced with excellent graphics and examples. As I beginning composer, I needed this. Thanks very much.
Great content man, seriously. I've been playing guitar and writing songs for over 40 years, and as you note towards the end of the video, like many less formally trained musicians I've known and used this kind of chord progression many times without knowing the theory behind it. As the Bob Dylan song illustrates, it's very common in country/delta blues songs, with which I'm quite familiar. But now, knowing and understanding more about the actual "mechanics" of the theory, I can see how it might be applied in totally different contexts, in totally different kinds of progressions. I immediately recognized the sound of the VII7 to the the iii chord. I thought instantly of Bill Withers' "Just The Two of Us" so I looked up the chords and yep, Cmaj7 -B7-Em7. But I would have never understood how to apply that to my own compositions before, so this video is INCREDIBLY useful. This isn't the first really great video of yours I've seen, but I really had to comment on this one, thanks so much for helping with my lifelong musical education.
Great video. I wonder how many viewers remember The Chordettes. The fact that a lecturer your age knows about songs by Buddy Holley, and The Chordettes tells us you have done exhaustive research, and you are authoritative beyond many of the other RUclips commentators.
Understanding where to look for that 'perfect' chord will be a great help now. It will make it a lot easier than the trial and error method that I've been using. : ) Thank you!
I've been getting into Japanese pop songs, and I've learnt all you've discussed in this video there. I'm so amazed by their music because even though you say the 7th secondary dominant is rare, its in so many Japanese songs and now I use it very often. Japanese songs are fire, the chords are so awesome
Thank you so much David. It explains why the early 60's girl group songs are so catchy. In addition to what you've said, it also explains what makes a "pop" tune actually POP !! (been playing bass for 15 years)
"Apology Song" by The Decemberists is my favorite example of this - it has lots of (as far as I can tell) major 3 chords leading to a minor 6. And now I know it's called a secondary dominant!
I learned this playing "Honkey Tonk Women" ---"upstairs for a . . ."---and now I know why. I totally enjoy music theory and know every day why my first guitar teacher stressed it so, even though I didn't learn a single song from him. This progression is a staple of country music and folk. As Jesse Pinkman might have said, "yeah THEORY!"
Such a great explanation of secondary dominants! I knew what they were but not how they have such a wide range of potential uses! It's got me realising that you can construct so many chord progressions by using this technique along with say substituting a M for a m chord, or vice versa. It's almost as if it's possible to come up with any chord progression because there is always a way to get there, by inserting 1 or 2 chords as a 'stepping-stone.' This has unlocked a ton of possibilities in my own song writing, which I'm new to. Thanks David! :)
For the VII7, another example might be "Sexy Sadie" by The Beatles. Only thing I'm not sure about is whether it's a 7th chord or just a straight major chord. Either way, I feel it fills the same function -- especially since John Lennon sings the 7th in his melody. I love secondary dominants. My favorite is probably the VI7. A good example you didn't mention is "Daydream" by The Loving Spoonful. For modern examples, I believe NOFX does it here and there.
When I saw Billie Eilish, The Muse, Beatles, and Queen, I knew this was it!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IM LOOKING FOR. I never had any music in depth training but I know I have ears for this. Now I can sleep peacefully, I know what it’s called now 😂😂😂
My favourite example is the last part of Pink Floyd's "Saucerful of Secrets" - there are 3 resolutions in row. The song is in Bm and at one point there's this ascending chord progression of D -> G, E -> A, F# -> Bm which is III -> VI, IV -> VII, V -> I, (the last one is of course resolving from the primary dominant).
In classical harmonic resolutions, the ii7 is not used as a secondary dominant but as a part of a simple chord succession that brings again to I. So it's like I-ii7-V7-I, often using IV instead of II as it's further from I and closer to V. But ii7 in classical music MUST resolve to V, which leads obviously to I or to a deceptive cadence. After all, secondary dominants are just raised or lowered chords of an harmonized scale which are useful for modulations, even better if they've got a seven in it, or for short passages in other tonalities before returning on the root chord.
You're right, it is totally possible. However, it hardly ever gets used. Diminished chords are inherently dissonant and unstable, so you can't really resolve to them. That doesn't mean you can't use the V/vii*, it just has a very weird and unique sound.
My point is that since you can't really resolve to diminished chords, and since they basically never get used, I don't think it's neccesary to cover them in an educational video about secondary dominant chords used in popular music (though it certainly wouldn't hurt).
Great video, I appreciated the confirmation that the flat-7 doesnt have to be in the chord, and the resolution doesnt actually have to happen. Another example is Stray Cat Strut: Cm, Bb, Ab, G7 (vi, V, IV, III) so G is the secondary dominant here.
Oasis, "She's Electric": C E7 Am F in the key of C (I don't know the original key) , and probably countless other Oasis songs.The thing about resolving to the vi minor chord in a major key, is that it sounds very much like resolving to the I chord in the relative minor key, which sounds very familiar. When I first started to pay attention to harmony as a child, trying to figure out how it works, it's the first chord that is non-diatonic that I noticed was used very frequently in this chord sequence (whether it's a dominant that resolves to the minor I, or a secondary dominant that resolves to the minor vi).
These videos are pieces of art in a similar way to music. In that, he uses 'progressions' from lots of artists, then resolves back to the 'base note' examples from radiohead or beatles. As a side note I'd love to see some of justin Currie's work used in the progressions section. Keep these excellent videos coming. They are entertaining and have inspired me to pick up my guitar again. Thank you.
You can cycle through all the keys using dominant fifths in Jazz. You just keep moving to the fifth of every fifth chord for each key. The Gershwin example seems to illustrate some of this.
Great video! "Wombling Merry Christmas" has a beautiful chord pattern in the chorus. Chord VI resolves on to chord II twice, but the first time it's minor & the second time it's a secondary dominant. The key is A major: D, D, A, F#m, Bm, E, D A, E, D, D, A, F#7, Bm, E, D A/C#, Bm A.
So on the pillows song “Moon is Mine”, the II7 secondary dominant (A7 in the key of G) in the prechorus is being used here. however it’s resolving to a IV (C) chord instead of V chord.
David you should check out Fito Páez's music, he's an amazing argentinian songwriter loved all around Latin America and Spain. I bring him up because he uses secondary dominants quite frequently and in beautiful ways. Great video as always!
This is by far the most useful video on Secondary Dominants I've seen. Thanks so much David, this was an eye-opener for me! Very good explanation and also an entertaining video!
A really cliche (and kinda old) chord progression used in Samba, is usually the iim Vdom7 IM7 VIdom7. Here in Brazil musicians often call this the "quadradinho" (the "squary" chord progression), I guess because of the hand positions on the neck of string instruments, like 7 string nylon guitars, cavaquinhos (which are kinda like Ukuleles with steel strings) mandolins, banjos, etc.
It was interesting to see a couple fellow classmates hella struggle to listen to secondary dominants on an aural skills exam. It was easier to just show them what songs they know have them and it automatically links in their ears now
One of the most unusual secondary dominants I can think of is a very rare situation in Yesterday by the Beatles where we actually get a secondary *v* (as opposed to V or V7) chord in the Em that resolves to A7 which in turn is a secondary dominant of Dm in the usual way.
Thanks for the illuminating discussion. It occurs to me that chain or string of secondary dominants that you refer to in Mr. Sandman would also be defined as a "fantasy" chord sequence that is of classical origin, though explained as ascending fourths. One example is the brilliant harpsichord cadenza in the first movement of the 5th Brandenburg Concerto by J.S.Bach, where the chords climb from A to D, G#, C#,F#,B,E, and back to A in the first of several climbs. I noticed that Elton John did a great example of this in Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, going from Gm to C, F, Bflat, Eflat, then back to C to return to Gm. I just love working out chord progressions to music, whether it's Procol Harum, Radiohead, or Grieg, so I'm grateful for this explanation.
The Jungle Book’s Bare Necessities and I Wan'na Be Like You are all about secondary dominants : C A7 D7 G7 C… Very satisfying indeed ! And kinda tricky to improvise over.
Don’t Look Back In Anger uses the Major version of the III chord as a secondary dominant that doesn’t have a dominant seventh or resolve by a fifth. On ‘Don’t you KNOW YOU might find’
Pumped for this one! Hoping it'll do for secondary dominants what David Bennett's other vid did for diminished chords: show me why I practice them (on guitar) and what good they can do when I write songs.
![Secondary Dominants- Write Better Chord Progressions! [MUSIC THEORY / SONGWRITING]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/py4HaueW50Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks to Hook Theory for sponsoring this video. For a limited time you can get 20% off lifetime access to Hook Theory when you follow this link: www.hooktheory.com/davidbennett 🎼
What if I don't want to?
i am an israeli bassist and you are a great teacher really i adore you at your age - thank you David you have a name of a king :) from my folk :)
I’ve got both Hook Theory books. They’re super awesome. I’ve got the Hook Pad but I haven’t used it much-but I still plan to. They’re written (vs video) but the examples are similar to here. The books start out extremely simple but by the end of the first book, it’s become somewhat challenging. About midway into the second it gets very deep. So from very simple to extremely challenging. With great examples and little quizzes to test your knowledge. Super awesome.
I don't know if you'd be interested in this for like a video idea, cause it's not very music theory-ish, but I noticed this weird trend in alot of pop songs where the lead into the chorus starts with "and she/he said" or "and I said". Blinding Lights by the wknd, love story by Taylor swift, cool kids by echo Smith, semi charmed kind of life, shut up and dance, don't look back in anger kind of. It's like a lesser version of that thing where alot of songs use the word tonight at the end of their chorus.
@@jkyles1000 Thanks for this review, brother
I think the tension really built through this video over the lack of Radiohead references and then resolved at the very end.
This has got to be the best radiohead related comment on any of Davids videos hahahahahaha
Going for Comment of the Year, are we now?
In other words... bloody brilliant.
Damn, this comment is the top one and thus shows in the comment section preview on mobile. Had the tension spoiled 😂
@@ericforsyth Oh, dang sorry.
Imagine the suspense if the Beatles didn't crop up right at the start
I don’t know anyone else on RUclips who does the “here’s what it would have sounded like if . . .” method. A great teaching tool.
V/ii. That’s it. That’s the “old-fashioned” sound I hear. That’s what it is. Amazing.
you mean VI
@@calicosky9863 He really means the five of two, which is the 6.
you mean V/V/V/I?
@@kjl3080 Way to meta the Roman numerals.
"I wrote it as a V/V/V/V/V/V."
'... Isn't that just a I chord?'
"STFU YUO DO'NT UNDERSTADN MY JENIS"
Right!? i always heard that progression in those 60s songs and knew they had something going on
David is elite but never elitist. Name another music theory teacher who will throw both Radiohead and Dolly Parton at you as examples. Thanks for being normal about it. So much music appreciation or education is buiilt on elitism or "high art". The secondary message of this video is "music is music," regardless of popularity or cultural context. That's a great message.
Thank you!
Actually, it’s not important to me whom he uses as examples, as long as I can _hear_ what he’s talking about in them, although it is helpful if the references are familiar to me, as I am thereby acquainted with their function in the rest of the piece. And I guess that’s the point of being eclectic: the broader the range he draws from, the more likely he is to access something familiar in each viewer’s experience.
Never really thought about why Mr. Sandman is SOOO satisfying, but it totally makes when you think about it. Yo dawg, I hear you like perfect cadences.
Not just that, but a chain of them, coming from the distant-most note of the scale back to the tonic
I heard you like cadences so I put some cadences in your cadences
That’s known as “Barbershop Harmony.” Barbershop Quartets typically sang consecutive and unresolved dominant seventh chords which conveniently have four pitches in them. Usually these chords followed the Circle of Fourths to the tonic, but sometimes they went almost Wagnerian.
Ragtime also used consecutive and unresolved dominant sevenths.
If you like Mr. Sandman, here’s a version with some even more adventurous chord excursions, with genius lyrics as well.
m.ruclips.net/video/k99bMtg4zRk/видео.html
David teaching kindergarten maths:
"So, as you can see, one and one and one is three - for example, in this song by The Beatles..."
Got to be good-looking, 'cause he's so hard to see...
I read that in a perfect David voice
Are you saying the numbers Come Together to form new sums?
They couldn't count the days in a week
@@Greg-fb6jh i think there's 8? not sure
It's absurd how boomers like me passed 40 years trying to understand things that David explains in 15 minutes. That's outrageous!!! Thanks so much, Dave, anyways. That is mastering in teaching, not even mantioning the overwelming acumulus of knowledge.
Precisely
I first saw "Mr. Sandman" at the bottom of the screen and my brain said "Oh, Metallica." Then after two seconds my brain over-corrected course and made me think "Mr. Sandman, man me a sand."
Car door hook hand
hahaha I’m glad we share the same set of references - I could totally see myself doing the same.
Enter Mr Sandman
Ridiculously good teaching....I want to dominate these dominants muhaha
😁😁😁
The Shredmaster never sleeps on music theory muhahahaha
Dave’s the man
It's no secret that Muse are big fans of the secondary dominant, but I think one of my favourite uses of it by them is "Survival". It's one of those songs where the key centre itself is fairly ambiguous, but it really feels like they try to bring out that unresolved feeling that comes with a secondary dominant. The main chord progression goes Bb -> Bb+ -> Ebm -> Ebm/F# -> B -> F# and then repeats.
The last part of "15 minutes" by the strokes is just chaining secondary dominants together and therefore using all 12 major chords in the process, its cool
YES !!! I listen to that song all the time, because that part just feels too epic. I couldn't really describe what i was hearing, because i don't have perfect pitch, but i knew something interesting was happening. So cool too know!
I can’t believe this even has a name. I’ve always been drawn to songs that use this, especially the first kind, but I never knew how to describe it. When I taught myself piano I just used to hear it as a logical, emotive jump between chords, and I noticed it in so many muse tracks growing up.
Also, Creep by Radiohead would sound great with G, B, Em, C albeit a much more common chord progression.
Same, almost all of my favorite songs use secondary dominants in them
Never underestimate the power of the leading tone
@@peterphann i kinda had the opposite experience, i was just learning about second dominant in music theory and i had no idea that they are this common, like i hadn't even ever noticed it. i guess i should start paying nore attention to what i hear in music
The best video on secondary dominants on the Internet. No nonsense, just, here's what they are, and here's some examples. That's all a budding artist needs. Thank you DBP!
"Life On Mars?" by David Bowie has lots of secondary dominants.
I think of them (having not known they had a name until now) as a very Bowie thing. Drive In Saturday and All The Young Dudes immediately spring to mind.
@@charliejoseph6465 LOVE Bowie
Why’d I think this was a gay joke at first lmao
Yes it uses the Major version of the VI chord on ‘To the girl with the mousey hair’, ‘as she walks through her sunken dream’, ‘and Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow’, and ‘From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads’. Also it uses the secondary dominant built on the tonic in the pre-chorus, which is in Db Major on the ‘As they ask her to focus on’ and ‘As I ask you to focus on’.
I believe another great example of use of a secondary dominate is in the chords progression of “She’s Electric” by Oasis. E major, G sharp dominant 7, C sharp minor, followed by A major makes a truly beautiful progression.
Awesome vid!
Great example 😃
So I have a saxophone student who asks really interesting theory questions. This week he asked me why he had an accidental in his music, and I could tell that he could tell something was happening there. It was obvious to me that it was a secondary dominant progression just from the melody. So I explained the concept to him. What a coincidence that you did this video on the same day!! I'm definitely going to recommend your channel to him because I think he'll get a lot out of it!
Years of tension trying to resolve my understanding of secondary dominants resolved in 15 minutes. This clarity of teaching used to only be available to middle class people who could afford private lessons.
I love the internet man!
Steve Goodman uses a secondary dominant in 'City of New Orleans': the verse section ends on the I chord, but the chorus begins on the IV. To smoothen this transition, the I briefly turns into a I7, which resolves to the IV and serves to "kick-start" the next progression.
Songs that modulate to the IV in the B section are ubiquitous in jazz. How many can we name?
The intro to Creep by Stone Temple Pilots is a great example. Starts in C then goes to B7 then resolves to Em then Em7. Great intro.
This video is filled with Beatles examples and I’m *not* complaining!
That’s the way I like it!
Queen also uses the V/iii chord in The March Of The Black Queen, one of their earlier songs (and my personal favourite!), which is similar to Bohemian Rhapsody in many ways, sometimes being called Bohemian Rhapsody's older sibling. During the guitar solo in C major after the first chorus, a B major chord is used as a secondary dominant to lead to an E major chord, which sets up a return to the next section in the relative key of A minor. After the second chorus, the B chord is used almost the same way, except that it leads to an E minor chord instead of a major chord, as the song goes into its next section. During the instrumental break near the end (also in C major), the B chord is used as a dominant chord (not a secondary dominant) for a sudden modulation into E major for the coda. Very cool stuff, the V/iii is definitely my favourite secondary dominant.
Also the chorus of New born by muse use vii°/iii
The verses of somebody to love uses the II7 chord a lot:
I V vi
I II7 V
I V vi
II7 V
I II7 V
II7 V IV
…I’ve always been internally struggling as to whether Back Queen or White Queen was Queens best song… aaah the struggle between Freddie and Brian. In your face creativity explosion or haunting subtlety building into a dramatic crescendo of harmonies. So hard to choose.
Yeah, I'm a big fun of this really underrated song! It's sounds and feel purely awesome!
I really needed this video right now in my life. got In sort of a rut in a few songs with transitioning between parts. your videos are always so easy to understand and the examples help a lot. love what you do mate, thanks for everything.
I love the I-II7-V chord progression. It sounds great in Lydian and it’s also a perfect way to transition from Lydian to major👍
Third chord “resolving” to the 2 minor chord is a lovely sound.
New light by John Mayer has a B7 that resolves to an Am, for example.
When playing a 2/5/1, it’s always nice to add the major third chord before returning to the progression.
So in C it could be something like: Dmin9-G7-Cmaj7-E7
Great comment!! I love this specific progression so much
In the popular music and jazz of the 1920s, most song progressions consisted largely of secondary dominants - perpetual secondary dominants, that is, as songs like Five Foot Two, Sweet Georgia Brown, etc. progressed through the cycle of fifths - or at least segments of the cycle.
Hooktheory is the perfect sponsor for this video! (They're my go-to choice for finding out what songs have similar chords if it's a progression I'm not as familiar with - including most of the ones with secondary dominants.)
Great 😃😃😃
In fact, I use the HookPad, but there is a lot of free analysis of progressions
in popular songs. The founders are from Berkley.
Great video, David. Do you know "Choro", an instrumental brazilian music genre? I think you could like it. It's like our version of Jazz, and it have a lot of exemples of secondary dominants. Also you can find a a lot of Neapolitan chords too. If you don't know this music, give it a chance. I suggest, for start, Doce de côco (coconut candy), de Jacob do Bandolim. Abraços!
Never heard of it, I’ll check it out now!
Check out Baden Powell's Live at the Rio Jazz Club. There's a track on the back half that I think may've influenced Radiohead. You'll know it when you hear it.
@@DavidBennettPiano tico tico no fubá and brasileirinho are another examples…I think you might know them
The beautiful melody and chord progression of MGMT’s Loss Of Life is another example of the use of a secondary dominant chord progression when moving from E to Am (ii chord in the key of G major). Incredible explanation - thank you for the video!
Nobody Knows You (When You're Down & Out) uses several secondary dominant movements. Thanks for explaining why this is such a totally satisfying progression.
secondary dominants were my gateway drug to music theory. it's so easy to go from them, to thinking "what if there were a secondary subdominant? a whole secondary chord progression?" and before you know it, you're a full on music nerd.
Three great secondary dominants are in the verses of What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, the verse of Only You by The Platters, and in the bridge of Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley.
Chaining dominants using the circle of fifths is also part of the ragtime turnaround, and one of the best parts of chaining dominants is that you get chromatic voice leading of the 3rd and 7ths (and their inversions) making it very easy to imply a chain of dominants with a chromatic walk down.
Interesting thing about Mr Sandman- back in the 1950s- it contains a possible "whistle blower" lyric about d2bw and rnraw (remote neuron writing) as crazy as that may sound in the lyric "please turn on your magic beam" - as if a particle beam could somehow convince a person to be attracted to another person. powerful stuff- keep up the good work laddies and ladies!
I have watched so many videos trying to understand secondary dominants and for some reason it just evaded my understanding but this video made it just click so easily for me. Nice job man!
Thanks!
Best explanation of 2ndary Dominants around!
Thank you!
Really like the way that you show the difference between the altered and unaltered versions of the chord progressions
Cheers!
Mr. Blue Sky - Jeff Lynn / ELO love that song and if I heard it right. It uses a couple of secondary dominants.
That Mr Sandman example with the string of secondary dominants in a row, is what we call circle of 5ths motion in barbershop harmony. A circle of 5ths chart is a handy tool for quickly identifying which 7th chord you want to lead you to the desired resolution.
"Juts the two of us" also is a great example of the VII7! In the solo section it also has a secondary dominant with a deceptive candance.
I really appreciate all of the work that goes into your videos David. Not only the knowledge that you have, but your ability to explain complex concepts simply and provide so many example. I'm sure it takes a lot of effort to put it all together. Thanks for helping me get more out of my love of music!
Fun lesson, David. Secondary dominants sure play a big role in popular music. I like to think of them as stepping stones!😊
I immediately thought of "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys. That song starts with the progression G, E, (secondary dominant), Am, F, D.
Another is "Good Lovin'" when it comes to that little pre-chorus. I think it is a II7 V7 I progression.
I’ve read the phrase “secondary dominant” so many times and glazed over. Thanks to your video, I now know that I’ve heard (and used!) this technique many times over. Cheers!
I believe the only chord in John Denvers “Take me Home, Country Roads“ that’s different is a secondary dominant. Verse 3
Crazy little thing called Love by Queen has a secondary dominant in the beginning
Another excellent video. You are a brilliant teacher,David, thank you.
Thanks Peter!
It will take lots of time for some of these historic secondary dominants to sink in. Just thinking I’ve heard them for years but never had a word for them
They're used a lot, and in interesting ways in bluesy songs, such as "Georgia on My Mind" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out." In "Georgia" it opens I - III7 (secondary dominant) - vi. Then later (old sweet song) it goes I - VI7 (secondary dominant) - II7 (secondary dominant) - V7 - and the turnaround is a cycle of 5ths, III7 - VI7 - II7 - V7. "Nobody Knows You" also has a lot of interesting uses.
Secondary dominants are a really clever trick. There is a tutorial on yt on how to write jazzy progressions and all he does is put a secondary dominant between chords. One of my favs Mac Ayres uses them a lot.
9:15 Ah, yes, "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?"
I know this sequence as the ukulele vamp, because of its ubiquity in ukulele music. George Formby's "When I'm Cleaning Windows", for example, is in G major and uses: G -> B7 -> E7 -> A7 -> D -> D7 -> G.
This is one of those things that I could identify upon hearing it in a song as “a cool and interesting chord change I’ve heard before,” but I don’t think I’d be able to connect it to the other songs I’ve heard it in. This has been really cool to watch! Cheers :)
I have to thank you for this wonderful explanation of secondary dominants. It is one of those concepts I never quite grasped when I was younger and would use it in a composition but not realise what it was or the options available. It's so helpful to have musical examples as well. Brilliant!
David, your channel is literally the one music-related thing I have been waiting to find for about 10 years! Not joking! Awesome content. Keep up the great work!
2:00 if that chord is E7 in c major scale why is there a G sharp there? Or am I confusing something? I’m new to this
I watched this twice when it came out and could only conclude that the “secondary dominant” was a nonsense term for overanalyzing brief glimpses of modality, into which the composer usually stumbled by accident in the first place.
Since then, I’ve been noticing secondary dominants in many of the songs I play routinely. 🤦♂️ I still don’t think I have a perfect grasp on it, but I can recognize when I’m wrong. You’re doing a great job of teaching me this stuff. Keep up the good work!
I was brought to this video today from your other Secondary Dominant video, and once again, you've explained things so well - before now, I thought the SD was the III7 chord - now I know there are loads of SDs, and all easily identifiable in popular music! It's particularly interesting how different SDs have fallen into and out of favour (e.g. you mention the SD VI7 resolving to the II found more in pre-1990's music). Lastly, your example of Creep threw me, as I thought I HAD to resolve to the perfect fifth root. Food for thought and experimentation, thank you!
Saw Matt Bellamy and John Lennon and clicked so fast
Muses music is absolutely littered with them
@@blueboy3492 facts
Lennon = Click.
@@blueboy3492 any examples? I’m a huge muse fan
I'm huge Muse fan too
I was trying to understand my usage of a VI major chord in a song I'm writing, because I didn't really know where to take it from there. It necer occurred to me to see it as a secondary dominant! This might help me finish the song and take it in a more unexpected direction.
Great stuff!
I am a musician/teacher as well- really good job with your explanations! I talk about secondary dominants in one of my Billy Joel Videos. Great job!
David's videos are always so interesting and erudite without being pretentious / pedantic etc. Way to go. For an example I'll choose the same chords as "All You Need is Love" (1:16). In "Song for a Winter's Night" by Gordon Lightfoot (key of G), the end of the verse normally goes from G chord ("on this") to D chord ("winter's night with") back to G ("you"). But on the last verse instead it goes from G chord ("and to be") to D chord ("once again with") but then to B7 Em (you ___) giving that "All You *Need* ..." kind of lift before repeating the resolving G-D-G pattern at the very end ("and to be once again with you").
Another two great examples of a chain of secondary dominants are “Killing Me Softly” and “I Will Survive”.
Beautiful songs.
Although "I Will Survive" has a chord progression that goes down in fifths, the chords are not dominant chords, and are all diatonic - they belong to the key of the song.
"killing me softly" is quite similiar. It's true that it has a chain of major chords a fifth down from each other, and I agree they have a dominant chain flavor to them, but if you check it you see none of them has a seventh, and they all naturally belong to the key of the song.
David, this by far the best explanation of secondary dominants I have seen. Clear, organized, well-paced with excellent graphics and examples. As I beginning composer, I needed this. Thanks very much.
Thanks Mike!
Matt bellamy videos is the key to my heart bro
I’ll bear that in mind 😃😃
@@DavidBennettPiano i'd love a video on take a bow tbh if it's not too much to ask
@@haavard9227 I’ll have a look and see what I can do 🙂
@@DavidBennettPiano that’s awesome, love your videos ❤️
Great content man, seriously. I've been playing guitar and writing songs for over 40 years, and as you note towards the end of the video, like many less formally trained musicians I've known and used this kind of chord progression many times without knowing the theory behind it. As the Bob Dylan song illustrates, it's very common in country/delta blues songs, with which I'm quite familiar. But now, knowing and understanding more about the actual "mechanics" of the theory, I can see how it might be applied in totally different contexts, in totally different kinds of progressions. I immediately recognized the sound of the VII7 to the the iii chord. I thought instantly of Bill Withers' "Just The Two of Us" so I looked up the chords and yep, Cmaj7 -B7-Em7. But I would have never understood how to apply that to my own compositions before, so this video is INCREDIBLY useful. This isn't the first really great video of yours I've seen, but I really had to comment on this one, thanks so much for helping with my lifelong musical education.
Great video. I wonder how many viewers remember The Chordettes. The fact that a lecturer your age knows about songs by Buddy Holley, and The Chordettes tells us you have done exhaustive research, and you are authoritative beyond many of the other RUclips commentators.
Understanding where to look for that 'perfect' chord will be a great help now. It will make it a lot easier than the trial and error method that I've been using. : ) Thank you!
I've been getting into Japanese pop songs, and I've learnt all you've discussed in this video there. I'm so amazed by their music because even though you say the 7th secondary dominant is rare, its in so many Japanese songs and now I use it very often. Japanese songs are fire, the chords are so awesome
Thank you so much David. It explains why the early 60's girl group songs are so catchy. In addition to what you've said, it also explains what makes a "pop" tune actually POP !! (been playing bass for 15 years)
"Apology Song" by The Decemberists is my favorite example of this - it has lots of (as far as I can tell) major 3 chords leading to a minor 6. And now I know it's called a secondary dominant!
Decemberists have never gotten the credit I wish they got. Their albums are a major stamp on my life
I learned this playing "Honkey Tonk Women" ---"upstairs for a . . ."---and now I know why. I totally enjoy music theory and know every day why my first guitar teacher stressed it so, even though I didn't learn a single song from him. This progression is a staple of country music and folk. As Jesse Pinkman might have said, "yeah THEORY!"
Such a great explanation of secondary dominants! I knew what they were but not how they have such a wide range of potential uses! It's got me realising that you can construct so many chord progressions by using this technique along with say substituting a M for a m chord, or vice versa. It's almost as if it's possible to come up with any chord progression because there is always a way to get there, by inserting 1 or 2 chords as a 'stepping-stone.' This has unlocked a ton of possibilities in my own song writing, which I'm new to. Thanks David! :)
I’m really glad that you found it useful! Thanks!
Literally best teacher ever
For the VII7, another example might be "Sexy Sadie" by The Beatles. Only thing I'm not sure about is whether it's a 7th chord or just a straight major chord. Either way, I feel it fills the same function -- especially since John Lennon sings the 7th in his melody.
I love secondary dominants. My favorite is probably the VI7. A good example you didn't mention is "Daydream" by The Loving Spoonful. For modern examples, I believe NOFX does it here and there.
Perfect!
When I saw Billie Eilish, The Muse, Beatles, and Queen, I knew this was it!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IM LOOKING FOR. I never had any music in depth training but I know I have ears for this. Now I can sleep peacefully, I know what it’s called now 😂😂😂
My favourite example is the last part of Pink Floyd's "Saucerful of Secrets" - there are 3 resolutions in row. The song is in Bm and at one point there's this ascending chord progression of D -> G, E -> A, F# -> Bm which is III -> VI, IV -> VII, V -> I, (the last one is of course resolving from the primary dominant).
In classical harmonic resolutions, the ii7 is not used as a secondary dominant but as a part of a simple chord succession that brings again to I. So it's like I-ii7-V7-I, often using IV instead of II as it's further from I and closer to V. But ii7 in classical music MUST resolve to V, which leads obviously to I or to a deceptive cadence.
After all, secondary dominants are just raised or lowered chords of an harmonized scale which are useful for modulations, even better if they've got a seven in it, or for short passages in other tonalities before returning on the root chord.
What about Secondary Dominants to get to the 7th (like a F#7 in the key of C). As weird as a C F#7 Bdim7 progression sounds, it can be done.
You're right, it is totally possible. However, it hardly ever gets used. Diminished chords are inherently dissonant and unstable, so you can't really resolve to them. That doesn't mean you can't use the V/vii*, it just has a very weird and unique sound.
My point is that since you can't really resolve to diminished chords, and since they basically never get used, I don't think it's neccesary to cover them in an educational video about secondary dominant chords used in popular music (though it certainly wouldn't hurt).
Hi Im fellow lefty guitarist do you like G F# Bm (Bm) (D) (E) progression
Great video, I appreciated the confirmation that the flat-7 doesnt have to be in the chord, and the resolution doesnt actually have to happen. Another example is Stray Cat Strut: Cm, Bb, Ab, G7 (vi, V, IV, III) so G is the secondary dominant here.
Why wouldn't you analyze that as i-bVII-bVI-V7 in minor? It's just the Andalusian cadence, isn't it?
@@gwalla I hadnt heard that name before, thanks. I see wiki has an interesting page on that.
Oasis, "She's Electric": C E7 Am F in the key of C (I don't know the original key) , and probably countless other Oasis songs.The thing about resolving to the vi minor chord in a major key, is that it sounds very much like resolving to the I chord in the relative minor key, which sounds very familiar. When I first started to pay attention to harmony as a child, trying to figure out how it works, it's the first chord that is non-diatonic that I noticed was used very frequently in this chord sequence (whether it's a dominant that resolves to the minor I, or a secondary dominant that resolves to the minor vi).
These videos are pieces of art in a similar way to music. In that, he uses 'progressions' from lots of artists, then resolves back to the 'base note' examples from radiohead or beatles. As a side note I'd love to see some of justin Currie's work used in the progressions section. Keep these excellent videos coming. They are entertaining and have inspired me to pick up my guitar again. Thank you.
You can cycle through all the keys using dominant fifths in Jazz. You just keep moving to the fifth of every fifth chord for each key. The Gershwin example seems to illustrate some of this.
Your channel is gold. Thank you for your work.
Your videos have inspired me to learn music theory again. Thank you and keep up the good work!
Thank you!
This video helped a lot, and I'm glad you included a 'chain of secondary dominants song' so I could really get a feel for it.
Great video! "Wombling Merry Christmas" has a beautiful chord pattern in the chorus. Chord VI resolves on to chord II twice, but the first time it's minor & the second time it's a secondary dominant. The key is A major:
D, D, A, F#m, Bm, E, D A, E,
D, D, A, F#7, Bm, E, D A/C#, Bm A.
So on the pillows song “Moon is Mine”, the II7 secondary dominant (A7 in the key of G) in the prechorus is being used here. however it’s resolving to a IV (C) chord instead of V chord.
13:43 the melody basically turns this C chord into a Cmaj7, which is just again Em plus the note C, very similar
David you should check out Fito Páez's music, he's an amazing argentinian songwriter loved all around Latin America and Spain. I bring him up because he uses secondary dominants quite frequently and in beautiful ways.
Great video as always!
Yesssss, and also so many folclore songs from Argentina use this progression
I've been absent-mindedly doing this in little compositions, especially the I to I⁷ to IV progression. Awesome to know the technicalities behind it
This is by far the most useful video on Secondary Dominants I've seen. Thanks so much David, this was an eye-opener for me! Very good explanation and also an entertaining video!
A really cliche (and kinda old) chord progression used in Samba, is usually the iim Vdom7 IM7 VIdom7. Here in Brazil musicians often call this the "quadradinho" (the "squary" chord progression), I guess because of the hand positions on the neck of string instruments, like 7 string nylon guitars, cavaquinhos (which are kinda like Ukuleles with steel strings) mandolins, banjos, etc.
Brilliant. thank you. You have presented this in a way I can finally understand. (and retain!)
Lots of Pixies songs use the interrupted cadence: Wave of Mutilation, Where is my mind etc... Great video!!
It was interesting to see a couple fellow classmates hella struggle to listen to secondary dominants on an aural skills exam. It was easier to just show them what songs they know have them and it automatically links in their ears now
One of the most unusual secondary dominants I can think of is a very rare situation in Yesterday by the Beatles where we actually get a secondary *v* (as opposed to V or V7) chord in the Em that resolves to A7 which in turn is a secondary dominant of Dm in the usual way.
Thanks for the illuminating discussion. It occurs to me that chain or string of secondary dominants that you refer to in Mr. Sandman would also be defined as a "fantasy" chord sequence that is of classical origin, though explained as ascending fourths. One example is the brilliant harpsichord cadenza in the first movement of the 5th Brandenburg Concerto by J.S.Bach, where the chords climb from A to D, G#, C#,F#,B,E, and back to A in the first of several climbs. I noticed that Elton John did a great example of this in Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, going from Gm to C, F, Bflat, Eflat, then back to C to return to Gm. I just love working out chord progressions to music, whether it's Procol Harum, Radiohead, or Grieg, so I'm grateful for this explanation.
Wow, I always thought that secondary dominants resolved by a 5th. I'm off to start working on some 'new' chord progressions.
I had to rewatch that section because it blew my mind.
The Jungle Book’s Bare Necessities and I Wan'na Be Like You are all about secondary dominants : C A7 D7 G7 C… Very satisfying indeed ! And kinda tricky to improvise over.
Don’t Look Back In Anger uses the Major version of the III chord as a secondary dominant that doesn’t have a dominant seventh or resolve by a fifth. On ‘Don’t you KNOW YOU might find’
Pumped for this one! Hoping it'll do for secondary dominants what David Bennett's other vid did for diminished chords: show me why I practice them (on guitar) and what good they can do when I write songs.