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January 10, 2022 By Aron Bernstein 8 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge: 1/10/22

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

Voice leading often demands that you omit a note in a chord. In any dominant seventh chord, which note is the best to omit?

a) The root?

b) The 3rd?

c) The 5th?

d) The 7th?

Check back on Friday, January 14th to see if you’re right!

ANSWER for 1/10/22

c) The Fifth. A dominant seventh chord needs its third and its seventh because these are the tendency tones, whose resolution is crucial. We also need the root, because that’s the note that defines the chord. Without the root, it becomes a diminished triad. It’s true that V7 and vii diminished are interchangeable as approaches to I, but V7 gives a more solid authentic cadence. So the only expendable note in a dominant seventh chord is the fifth, the least active tone. Without it, we still have the defining note and the tendency tones that make a dominant seventh chord really function.

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Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: breakingbarlines, chords, classicalmusic, dominant7th, harmony, music, musiceducation, musiclessons, musicstudent, musicteacher, musictheory, musicvideo, popmusic

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steve Cohen says

    January 10, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    The 5th.

    Reply
    • Aron Bernstein says

      January 13, 2022 at 10:11 am

      Always one of my favorite amendments 🙂

      Reply
  2. Linda H. says

    January 11, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    The fifth

    Reply
    • Aron Bernstein says

      January 11, 2022 at 7:13 pm

      The most popular answer by a mile!

      Reply
  3. Dan says

    January 12, 2022 at 9:59 am

    The root.

    Reply
    • Aron Bernstein says

      January 12, 2022 at 1:40 pm

      Hey Dan! Good guess, but the root is the note that defines the chord. With only the 3rd, 5th, and 7th, it becomes a diminished 7th chord. It’s true that both are almost interchangeable as an approach to I, but a dominant 7th chord needs its root to be recognized as such. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Mike Hudson says

    January 12, 2022 at 6:26 pm

    The fifth.

    Reply
    • Aron Bernstein says

      January 13, 2022 at 10:09 am

      On the advice of counsel, you have taken the fifth! 🙂

      Reply

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