Return to table of contents. The C7 in 4 String Inversions Why is the V chord called a Dominant? Does it wear leather and pet accessories and carry a whip? Not quite. The idea behind this rather old analytic term was that of the seven chords in the diatonic scale, this was the most immediately gravitational to the tonic, or I, chord. It was one of the primary progressions to end a piece. But that was back when keyboards and the circle of fifths ruled the musical universe. I find it no coincidence that these resolutions also were very comfortable on the keyboard. Parallel harmony for keyboards is a nightmare of constantly shifting in rather uncategorizable ways between the white and black keys. And you simply don’t need it to direct a choir. Also, as in very hard metal, when music is performed in a church setting, increasing dissonance generates a lot of phase cancellations with the echoes, giving the overall sound a diffuse mushiness. Thelonius Monk would never have gotten the Notre Dame gig. Of course, "wrong note Monk," as his colleagues called him, had trouble getting gigs at all. A better way to comprehend the concept is that of tension and release. From the Renaissance onward, composers showed increasing interest in developing ways to heighten tension and extend musical development before the final cadence. By the time another three hundred years had past, we had composers like Chopin and Debussy whose work is almost impossible to completely analyze in dominant V to Tonc I terms without the use of extraordinary analytic artifice. However, Alan Forte's book on Tonal Harmony remains a classic expression of this approach and is a masterpiece which I heartily recommend. For those of us mortals who want to get a can opener on these issues, however, it remains a bit over wrought. The jazz approach to dominant tension may over simplify the case at times, but it will prove to be a lovely short cut. Rather than analyze everything in terms of tonal dominance, jazz views the chords as being altered and/or substitutes. The reason I use the and/or with regard to alteration versus substitution, is that they will prove synonymous in practical application. First let's review the basic 7th chords below: E-D-G-B [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * C * *# B E * *# *# G * * Bb * * *# *# *# B *# *# * * G C E * Bb * * * * * B * * * *# B C * Bb * G * *# *# B E *# *# * * C * * * *# *# *# *# Bb *# E * * G B * D-G-B-E [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * C * *# B E * *# *# * * * Bb * G *# *# *# B *# *# * * G C E * * * * * * Bb B * * * *# B * * Bb * G C *# *# B E *# *# * * C * * * *# *# *# *# Bb *# * * * G B E A-D-G-B [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * * * *# B * * *# *# * C * Bb * * *# *# *# B *# *# * * G C E * * * * * * * B E * * *# B * * Bb * G * *# *# B E *# *# * G C * * * *# *# *# *# Bb *# * * * * B * A-G-B-E [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * * * *# B * * *# *# * C * Bb * G *# *# *# B *# *# * * * C E * * * * * * Bb B E * * *# B * * * * G C *# *# B E *# *# * G * * * * *# *# *# *# Bb *# * * * * B * E-A-D-G [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * * * *# B E * *# *# G C * Bb * * *# *# *# B *# *# * * G C * * Bb * * * * * B E * * *# B C * Bb * * * *# *# B E *# *# * G * * * * *# *# *# *# *# *# * * * * B * Now let's take one group of chords and see what happens when we apply the cliched augmented and diminished fifths. I will leave the original notes in white. In the first group, C7-5(?) I took the fifth of the C7, G, in the above table and lowered it one fret to F#/Gb. This is a wonderful chord that will clearly resolve to Fma7, the tonic. The reason for the parenthitic question mark will clarify as we go up the group. To a guitarist it is almost painfully obvious after a few repetitions of these forms, that there are parallel patterns and synonyms all over the place. If we cross reference these 7-5 chords with the whole tone scale we will see why. They can be viewed as having a derivation from that parent scale which has the capabilityof resolving into any of six possible tonal centers. For keyboard analysis to arrive at the identical conclusion requires the unspeakable tedium of writing everything out in note form and finding the compellng conclusion that is intuitively and visually clear to the guitarist. (A task fit for the followers of the Marquis de Sade) Thus in keyboard analysis of jazz, there is something called the "tritone substitution." All this means is that an F#7-5 can be substituted for a C7-5, among others. But if we look at that first example, when we flatted the G to an F#, the F# ended up being in the bass, and acts as a fuctional root. And in the end, it resolves wonderfully to an Fma7. However, it also resolves just as well to a Bma7, as soon as your ear adjusts to the change of tonal center. You might also notice that alternate voicings are identical. Again the principle of symmetric harmony. In the next two tables, I do the same with the +5. That's a little more problematic. If I ever get a publishing contract and any kind of pay for doing this, perhaps I will elaborate, but for now, my fingers are starting to get itchy. The last table is for the truly adventurous. Cook up some voicings from your own home laboratory. In keeping with centuries of pedagogical tradition, I leave it to the ambitious student to work out and execute these alterations on the remaining four voice forms. Me? I get so many ideas just putting these bare bones on paper, I'm going to go get some of them under my hands. C7-5(?) [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * C * F# B E * *# *# G * * Bb * * *# *# F# B *# *# * * G C E * Bb * * * * * B * * * F# B C * Bb * G * *# *# B E *# *# * * C * * * *# *# *# F# Bb *# E * * G B * C7-5? [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * C * F# B E * *# *# * * * Bb * * *# *# F# B *# *# * * * C E * Bb * * * * * B * * * F# B C * Bb * * * *# *# B E *# *# * * C * * * *# *# *# F# Bb *# E * * * B * C7+5? [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * C * *# B E * *# *# G * * Bb * * G# *# *# B *# *# * * G C E * Bb * G# * * * B * * * *# B C * Bb * G * *# *# B E G# *# * * * * * * *# *# *# *# * *# * * * * B * C7+5? [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * C * *# B E * *# *# * * * Bb * * G# *# *# B *# *# * * * C E * Bb * G# * * * B * * * *# B C * Bb * * * *# *# B E G# *# * * * * * * *# *# *# *# * *# * * * * B * F#/C7+5 [E] [A] [D] [G] [B] [E] * * * * * * F# B E * *# *# * * * Bb D * G# *# F# B *# *# * * * C E * Bb * G# * * * B * * D F# B C * Bb * * * *# *# B E G# *# D * C * * * *# *# *# *# Bb D# E * D * B * Please also note that since the tables only extend to twelve frets, I have elided some forms. Bad author. Very naughty, bad, broke author! Return to table of contents.