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A secondary dominant is a dominant chord that temporarily leads to a chord other than the tonic. It creates additional harmonic tension and makes chord progressions sound richer and more colorful.
What is a secondary dominant?
In tonal music, the primary dominant chord resolves to the tonic. A secondary dominant temporarily treats another chord as if it were the tonic by preceding it with its own dominant chord.
For example, in the key of C major, an E7 chord can be used before Am. In this case, E7 functions as the dominant of A minor rather than the dominant of C major. Secondary dominants often introduce accidentals that do not belong to the original key.
How are secondary dominants used in piano playing?
Secondary dominants are widely used in jazz, pop, classical and contemporary music to make chord progressions more interesting. They create a stronger sense of direction by temporarily emphasizing the next chord.
For piano players, learning to recognize and use secondary dominants is an excellent way to add colour, movement and sophistication to accompaniments and improvisations.