How to Use Secondary Dominants in Funk Music

You can add a lot of spice to your funk playing by incorporating secondary dominants. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to use them to add some extra flavor to your grooves.

What is a Secondary Dominant?

In music theory, a secondary dominant is a dominant chord (a chord built on the fifth scale degree) that temporarily tonicizes a secondary functional area of tonality. In funk music, this typically happens on the two and four chords of a progression, which are usually minor. By using secondary dominants, you can create more interest and movement in your funk grooves.

Here’s an example of how to use secondary dominants in a funk groove:

The first two measures of this example feature a Cmaj7 chord on the downbeat of each measure. In the third measure, there is a B7 chord on the downbeat, which functions as a secondary dominant of the Em7 chord that follows in measure 4. This creates some movement and interest in what would otherwise be a fairly static groove.

You can use secondary dominants with any type of chord, not just minor chords. Experiment with different chords and progressions to see what sounds good to you.

How to Use Secondary Dominants in Funk Music

Funk music is a genre that uses a lot of syncopation and groove. It is often said that funk is “the groove of the people.” Funk music is all about getting people to move and groove along with the music. A lot of funk songs are based around a central chord, or tonic, and use secondary dominant chords to create tension and release.

Chord Progressions

In funk music, chord progressions are often based on the dom7 chords of the blues scale. A secondary dominant is a dom7 chord that is not in the blues scale, but which can be used to create a strong sense of tonality within a funk context.

Secondary dominants can be thought of as substitutes for the dominant chords in a progression. They can be used to create tension and release, to add harmonic interest, or simply to change the feel of a progression.

When using secondary dominants, it is important to keep in mind that they are not always harmonically correct. In other words, they may not sound good when played alone. They should be used as part of a larger chord progression, and they should always resolve back to the tonic chord.

Here are some examples of secondary dominants that can be used in funk progressions:

The ii-V-I is one of the most common progressions in all of music. It is often used as a turnaround in funk progressions. To turn this into a secondary dominant progression, simply substitute the V7 chord with a VI7 chord. For example:

ii-VI7-I

Secondary Dominants in Context

In funk music, the secondary dominant is often used to create tension and release. It can also be used as a way to change the feel of a groove, or to create a sense of forward motion. By understanding how and when to use secondary dominants, you can add a new level of interest and sophistication to your funk playing.

The first step is to understand what a secondary dominant is. In tonal music, the primary chords are those built on the first, fourth and fifth scale degrees (I, IV and V). The secondary dominants are those built on the second, third and sixth scale degrees (ii, iii and VI). In the key of C, these would be Dm7 (ii), Em7 (iii) and Am7 (VI).

One way to think about secondary dominants is that they are short-term substitutes for the primary chords. So in a funk groove in C, you might see a progression like this:

Cm7 | Am7 | Dm7 | G7

This could be thought of as I-vi-ii-V. But if we add in some secondary dominants, it might look like this:

Cm7 | A7 | Dm7 | G7

Examples of Secondary Dominants in Funk Music

Secondary dominants are a type of chord that can add a lot of flavor to funk music. They are typically used to create tension and release, and can make your funk tracks sound more interesting. In this article, we’ll take a look at some examples of secondary dominants in funk music.

“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder

“Superstition” is a perfect example of how to use a secondary dominant in funk music. The melody of the song is based around the chord progression of D7-G7-C7, but Stevie Wonder uses a secondary dominant (A7) to add spice to the chorus. This variation in the chord progression helps to create a more driving and energetic feel to the music.

“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” by The Beatles

The song “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” by The Beatles is a great example of how to use secondary dominants in funk music. The chord progression in the song goes like this: D-D-G-G-A-A-F#7-F#7-E7-E7. As you can see, the F#7 is a secondary dominant of the A chord, and the E7 is a secondary dominant of the F#7 chord. This gives the progression a lot of tension and release, which is what funk music is all about.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to use secondary dominants in funk music, you can add them to your own songs to create more interesting harmonies. Just remember to keep the rhythm tight and groove-oriented, and you’ll be sure to funkify your tracks in no time!