Morning All!

I have just encountered the dominant sevenths scales - one octave (violin) and have a couple of questions please.

1. Why am I learning dominant sevenths, where will they eventually lead me? What were they invented for?

2. The scales ask me to start in the key of 'x'. In the key of C I play a G as my first note and in the key of G I play D as my first note and so on. Why do I start on those first notes? I don't understand why the note G would be the key of C?

I would appreciate any simple answers please.....I have a tiny little brain

As simply as possible:

1. Dominant sevenths are normally used for modulation and will lead you back to the tonic chord as in a perfect cadence.

2. The dominant chord is always built on the fifth note of the scale. So if you have a C major scale, for example, the dominant chord starts on the fifth note which is G.

Perfect answer for the tiny brain....thank you.





Not so simple for my tiny brain. Could you simplify this just a little more. Modulation / tonic chord / perfect cadence I am only grade 3

The dominant is another name for the fifth of the key.

The dominant chord is part of a perfect cadence, certainly, but not necessarily in modulation.

"Dominant seventh scales" is a name I have never met before. Do they have all seven pitches of the major scale? My wife thinks you may mean dominant seventh arpeggios.

If you've ever strummed a guitar you will be aware of the 3 chord trick - I, IV, V.

These 3 chords can be used to accompany a huge amount of folk, pop and rock music. The V (dominant) chord is usually played in its 7th form ('cos it sounds good), so in your example of C major, those chords would be C, F, G7. The dominant 7th is that V7 chord arpeggiated.

Now you might ask OK why am I playing these "chords" on the violin? You will find as you look at music in more detail and begin to apply some simple analysis, that these chord progressions do occur quite regularly even in simple "one line" tunes. You will also discover (shock horror) diminished 7ths cropping up in the same way. It is the use of these devices that "implies" the underlying harmony of a piece even if it is only a single line being played with no chordal accompaniment. Lots of solo string and wind pieces are built this way.

It is when you can recognise the various common scale and arpeggio figures in a piece that sight reading becomes easier (so I am told ). You then read the sentence rather than each individual word or letter.

Right that's enough thinking for this time in the morning. I'm off.

I get it now....'cos it sounds good. Perfect

That is a fantastic answer. I will go and have a morning read of my music. Thank you.

Agree with pushpull here, V7, your dominant 7th broken chord/arpeggiated pattern is so useful for sightreading and repertoire that to including it in technical work is a bit of a nobrainer.

I've just written up under G7 Piano a rationale for why bother to learn scales at all. I must admit when I was a young arrogant teenager and scales were not exactly flavour of the months I did get rather frustrated by them, but could always see my first reason (teaches about tonality) it is only now I'm older and perhaps wiser I can see my second and third reasons (they occur in music all the time) (the encourage sound technique and fluidity of finger dexterity that in its self means an instrumentalist can concentrate on playing musically) which are far more important whether you playing scales on the piano, a stringed instrument or a wind instrument. Of course when singing or playing scales on a stringed instrument the help reinforce strong aural and intonation skills as both singers and string players are finding each note on their voice/ correct string. Thus creating correct placing/finger placing.

(I do like seeing connections.. but I digress)

However all of these skills help you as a player sight read, music and practise more effectively be it dominant sevenths or a chromatic scale and that is the significant bit!

No posting on difficult violin subjects until I get my violin and fall in love with it please!

Oh, don't you worry. You will soon be here asking daft questions like me! Your day will come!

Besides dominant seventh chords/arpeggios are not exactly instrument specific.