Why is it called dominant 7th

Of all the seventh chords, perhaps the most important is the dominant seventh. It was the first seventh chord to appear regularly in classical music. The name comes from the fact that the flat seventh occurs naturally in the chord built upon the dominant (i.e., the fifth degree) of a given major diatonic scale.

1. What makes a dominant 7 chord?
2. Why is it called G7 chord?
3. What is the dominant seventh?
4. What does dominant mean in music?

What makes a dominant 7 chord?

A Dominant 7 chord is built from the 5th degree of a scale, which is the dominant degree. Let's take the C major scale as an example, the tetrad chord (four notes) built from the 5th degree is G7. You can see a dominant 7 chord as a major triad with an added flattened seventh.

Why is it called G7 chord?

The chord in question is a major triad with a minor 7th from the root (G7 = GBDF, the F is a m7 from g: C7 = CEGBb, the Bb is a m7 from the root). This is what the chord "is".

What is the dominant seventh?

In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord, is a seventh chord, usually built on the fifth degree of the major scale, and composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh.

What does dominant mean in music?

Dominant, in music, the fifth tone or degree of a diatonic scale (i.e., any of the major or minor scales of the tonal harmonic system), or the triad built upon this degree. In the key of C, for example, the dominant degree is the note G; the dominant triad is formed by the notes G–B–D in the key of C major or C minor.