What is a Secondary Dominant? (All of Me Analysis)

Have you ever been checking out a jazz standard and saw something like Cmaj7-A7-Dmin7-G7, and thought to yourself "I thought the vi chord (A7) is supposed to be minor?"
Well, you would be right. But in cases like this, you are experiencing the use of something called a "Secondary Dominant" in the music theory world.
In this video, I explain what a secondary dominant is and how it works. We use the jazz standards All of Me, to help us out.
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[@jodyguilbeaux8225]

that was never explained to me and confused the hell out of me. they teach you one way , then they insert something with no explanation. good video thanks.

[@sega62s]

Chord and melody is my favorite jazz expression, your doing well here, might also do some analysis of the modes or chord notes when teaching, cause you know how to explain stuff compared to most people on youtube 💪🏽

[@superalbertos550]

Great lesson, thanks!! You just explain what many teachers didn't. And in a very simple way.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad to hear that!

[@gianlucacraft33]

Simple and clear, thanks for the notion!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Happy to help Gianluca!

[@luvkayakn]

Yes! Just saw a Rick Beato video yesterday, and he touched on this topic. It must be something I'm ready to learn in my journey for it to appear now 😀

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Awesome Tate! Glad to join Rick in helping you out.

[@Keno9462]

Hey Brent, good stuff! I always kinda of looked at it as a II V of II in the key of C. It’s just that the V is before the II. The II equals the V in improvising. Man thanks for all your work, it truly helps us . Love your web😊

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hey Eugenio, my pleasure! That's a great way to look at secondary dominants.

[@ArtVandelay99]

awesome video thanks!!

[@SheffieldMarkE]

Hey Bret - thanks for the lesson. You asked for other standards with subdominant changes, I think the granddaddy of all is Rhythm Changes in both the AB section and then in the bridge, where 3 out of 4 are in a subdominant cycle. Int the AB section the subdominants mostly resolve to a minor 7, but in the bridge they're just all 7th chords resolving up a fifth except the F7 at the end

[@TheSteelDialga]

A7alt is another confusing topic in itself added on top of an already confusing topic. Love your videos though, they're super helpful. Just wanted to point that out 'cause I just spent like 10 minutes online trying to figure out what that was haha

[@TheGodlessGuitarist]

This whole 'tonicizing' thing seems like it is a way to add additional tension and release within the progresssion over and above the dominant and root of the progression. Is that about right? Just realised we both have the same guitar (though mine is blue with black pickup bezels). Have always love this Ibanez Artcore. It was an absolute steal, brand new at £250. I guess because semis are just not as popular as other electrics.

[@hazaelhabacucsaucedoromero2416]

I was wondering the same; A7? Or Amin7? Now I have another good point of view, thank you Sensei! I love jazz and hope I can buy your book soon. Greetings from México!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad to help Hazael!

[@sorebutton]

Could you also think of the A7 as a C#dim7 resolving to the Dm7? If you add A in the bass, it is just an A7b9. Just Food For Thought.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hi Ed, you certainly could substitute that diminished chord quite nicely! Classic diminished/ altered dominant theory.

[@sega62s]

Great stuff, great channel🍻🍻🍻🍻by the way what is the model of your Ibanez guitar?

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks Andy! It's an Ibanez Art Core AF95

[@MrSqilz]

is the f7 of bar 1 a secondary dominant in but not for me?

[@caglanukulele]

Do you have any video on how E7 (in measure 3) works as ii7 in D minor? I haven't understood what it technically is.

[@lorenzosyquia4769]

Typically, the second degree of a minor scale is a diminished/m7b5 chord. So in the key of D minor, that's your E diminished/m7b5 chord. And this E diminished/m7b5 chord is the dominant of A [whether it's A7 or AMajor7 or Aminor7] Diminished chords can sort of function as dominant chords (meaning they can pull you nicely back to your 1 chord just like a dominant chord does). For example E7 to Aminor7 or Edimished/m7b5 to Aminor7.

[@AsSeenOnMyAss]

what would g minor be considered the minor v in C Major?

[@mulattotvc15]

Hi i find these so confusing. Is a 2° the same as a key centre change i.e A7 is the 5th of d? Though it is the vi of C. So in affect in C i drift into d using the non diatonic A. This is deffo no 141(blues) or 14651(blues/pop). This drift aka tonicization is presumably more interesting but for whom ... audience or players. I guess this question prequels your "play all the wrong notes video".

[@LordOfFlies]

What does the A7alt mean? Is it the same as A7aug?

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hey Fredrik! In jazz when you see alt it insinuates some combination of altered extensions: #9, b9, #11, b13. Aug means #5. Hope that helps.

[@LordOfFlies]

@@Learnjazzstandards Aa okay, I am not that familiar with these kinds of chord notations, thank you!

[@Pode91]

Something I'm getting wrong : when you say A7 is the 5th chord of Dm7... In what scale/key ? In a natural minor scale, the 5th chord of Dm7 is Am7. Plus, it's the only minor scale where the 1st chord is actually a m7, and not a mMaj7. Or is it a different mode ? Officially lost in here !

[@Keno9462]

My bad worded wrong, the A7 needs to be addresss

[@bracelarson8640]

Lady Bird?

[@lorenzosyquia4769]

Did you say "tonisisaization"? hahaha

[@jodyguilbeaux8225]

i never had my tonicizations out when i was a kid .........................................................just kidding

[@reednut2091]

Interesting. I always called those five of the two, five of the six, five of the five, etc. I don't like "secondary dominant" as much, sounds too much like a doctor describing your private parts in front of your mother.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Well, I didn't make it up, but V of vi is a good way to refer to a type of secondary dominant

[@WilliamMondy]

Leave the written examples up the whole time you are discussing their theory. You are switching back to your face too quickly where we only able to see you talk. I have to keep rewinding to see the example score to learn what you are teaching.