dominant
theoryDOM-ih-nunt
The fifth degree of a scale, or the chord built on it — the strongest harmonic force pulling toward the tonic.
The dominant is the fifth note of any major or minor scale and the chord built on it. In the key of C, the dominant is G and the dominant chord is G major. The dominant-to-tonic progression (V-I) is the most fundamental harmonic motion in tonal music — it creates the strongest sense of arrival and resolution.
The dominant seventh chord (V7) adds even more pull toward the tonic because it contains the tritone — the interval between the third and seventh of the chord — which resolves with powerful directional force. This V7-I motion is the harmonic equivalent of a question and answer, and it underlies virtually all cadential patterns in Western music.
The V-I cadence is so deeply ingrained in Western listeners that even people with no musical training can predict when a piece is about to end — their brains have absorbed the pattern through a lifetime of exposure.