The use of altered dominant chords (especially in jazz and fusion music) have been in existence since ages.
These chords create a strong preparation for harmonic resolution, and have been a 'go-to' chord for almost all musicians.
But what are they? And how or when do we use them? That's what we will look into in this blog.
What Is An Altered Dominant Chord?
Altered dominant chords refer to dominant chords using either of the following tensions or any combinations of them:
Often times, the regular tensions we get (9, 11, & 13) may sound too consonant in harmonic practice. In such cases, we use altered tensions to "spice" up the moment and create a more dramatic resolution.
These chords are usually played after a ii minor chord of some sort and you will find numerous examples of this (specificaly in a lot of jazz standards).
Take a look at this iReal chord chart for 'Stella By Starlight' below:
So, in straight words, altered chords are used to add either more colour or a stronger sense of an expectation to resolve or modulate to a tonic of some sort.
How & When To Use Altered Dominant Chords?
Though there can be many situations wherein you can use these chords (especially as an improviser), here are three common uses of these in contemporary music:
Using it as the V chord in a minor ii-V-i progression.
Momentarily using it in a major ii-V-I progression to add some spice while accompanying someone.
Using it as a sub V to resolve chromatically.
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