AP® Music Theory · Unit 7 · Topic 7.2
Chains of Secondary Dominants and Irregular Resolutions
Watch it explained
- How it worksHow does a chain of secondary dominants hand tension from one chord to the next?
- Worked exampleFind the chords in a chain running V7 of vi, vi, V7 of ii, ii, V7, I in C major.
- Common mistakeWhy doesn't an accidental in the middle of a phrase always signal a change of key?
- Going furtherWhat happens when the V of V chord resolves to a cadential six-four instead of straight to V?
Check yourself
Your turn1 of 2
A chain of secondary dominants passes tension from one chord to the next before finally resolving to tonic. A chain contains 4 secondary dominant chords, each paired with the diatonic chord it tonicizes. How many total chords, secondary dominants plus their targets, does the chain contain before the final resolution to tonic?End of topic.