Part One: Intros with Dominant Chords

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 Much of what happens musically in introductions revolves around using the dominant chord. This is sometimes referred to as the V chord (pronounced "five chord"). This chord varies according to what key you play the songs in. I will keep my examples in the key of C major because it is simple to understand. In the key of C the dominant chord is G7. I'll list the dominant chords for all the other keys later.


There are many variations on the basic dominant chord. Here are a few of the most common ones. You'll see them presented first in a straightforward theoretical way, and then you'll get a chance to learn them from a keyboard player's point of view. Most of the intro examples you'll see here are based on this dominant chord.


G7 = GBDF  and GG/GBDF


Gaug7 = GBD#F


G9 = GBDFA


G7b9 = GBDFbA


G9 = Bm7(b5)/G and it looks like this: G/ BDFA


G7b9 = Bdim7/G looks like: G/BDFAb


Bdim7/G means right hand plays Bdim7 chord while left hand plays single (or double) G note in bass.
G seven flat-nine could be written as either G7b9 or G7-9.


* List of Dominant Chords around the Circle of Fourths:


KEY     DOMINANT CHORD


C          G7


F           C7


Bb        F7


Eb        Bb7


Ab        Eb7


Db        Ab7


Gb        Db7


B          F#7


E          B7


A          E7


D          A7


G         D7

You might want to check out Karen's teaching video to clear up some music points for a refresher course: Dominant and Playing By Ear


 Related Topics:


Dominant Chord 

Definition: Dominant Chord 

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