Is the secondary dominant the same if my target chord is a major or minor of the same root?

Question

Say my **target chord** is D major or D minor in two separate keys. For example let's say D major is in the key of G major (the V chord) and let's say the D minor is in the key of F major (the vi chord). Do they both have the same secondary dominant (A7)? the V7/V in the key of G is the same as the V7/vi in key of F? In other words, when I'm trying to figure out a secondary dominant, the V7 of a minor scale is just like V7 of a major scale, provided they share the same tonic (in this example D).

Answer 1

Yes! A or A7 would be the secondary dominant to V in G and vi in F, or ii in C, or iii in Bb. A7 could also be V7/IV in the key of A. You could also have a chain of secondary dominants, say if you're in F and go A7, D7, G7, C7, F.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Hello, it sounds like you have the right understanding with this; secondary dominants are essentially determined the dominant scale degree (5) in any given key/scale. So yes, an A7 chord is the V7/V in G major because the 5th scale degree of D major is A. This also applies to your second example, as A is also the 5th scale degree of D minor. Because the 5th scale degree is the same in both major and minor keys, the secondary dominant chords are essentially the same in both of these situations. Hopefully this helps!

Answer 3

Hello, Kennedy,

You may see "Spanish tutor" on my profile, but I also have bachelor's and master's degrees in music and have taught piano and voice for many years. On WyzAnt, I have mostly been tutoring Spanish, but since I recently relocated, I am ready to do more online music lessons.

Yes, the dominant (V) chord of both major and minor keys is the same. This is because in the case of minor keys, the chords are usually based on the harmonic minor form of the scale, which has a raised 7th degree. Using your example, the 7th degree of both the D major and d minor scales would be C#. The dominant chord would be A major, A C# E (dominant 7th, A C# E G).

The function of the chord in the key doesn't matter, it's the relationship to the D major or D minor scale that determines it.

Key of D major or D minor: A is V

Key of G: A is V/V

Key of F: A is V/vi.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have other questions.

Best regards,

Elizabeth