5.1 The Dominant Seventh & Resolution

The V7 chord

The dominant seventh (V7) is the strongest pull to the tonic. It contains both the leading tone (7) and the chordal seventh (scale degree 4), a dissonant tritone that wants to resolve.

How it resolves

In V7–I: the leading tone rises to the tonic, and the seventh falls by step to the third of the tonic chord. The tritone resolves inward or outward to consonance.

Inversions

V7 appears in inversions (V6/5, V4/3, V4/2), each resolving to a tonic chord in a specific position — for example, V4/2 resolves to I6 (the seventh in the bass falls).

Key terms

V7

dominant seventh — the strongest pull to tonic

The tritone

leading tone + chordal seventh; must resolve

Leading tone

rises to the tonic

Chordal seventh

falls by step to the tonic's third

V4/2 → I6

third-inversion V7 resolves to I6

Try an AP-style question

In V7–I, the chordal seventh of V7 typically resolves…

1. down by step
2. up by leap
3. stays the same
4. up by step