Ever notice how some chord progressions just sound richer than yours, even when you’re using the same basic chords?
The difference is often one chord. A borrowed chord that doesn’t “belong” to the key, dropped in right before a familiar one. That’s a secondary chord, and it’s one of the fastest ways to make your progressions sound more expressive without learning anything exotic.
This lesson is for you if:
- You want to understand what the pros are doing when a song takes an unexpected turn
- Your progressions sound correct but lifeless
- You’ve heard terms like “5 of 5” and want them to actually make sense
Let’s get started!
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What are secondary chords?
Secondary chords function as a 5 chord that resolves to any chord other than the tonic (the 1 chord).
For example, in the key of D Major, the 2 chord would normally be E minor. But if we change it to E Major, or better yet E7, it now acts as the 5 of the 5 chord, pulling us into A Major. That small swap is what gives secondary chords their twist.
(Quick note: dominant 7th chords naturally want to resolve to the chord a fourth above, which is why E7 pulls so strongly toward A.)
You can hear this move in action in a song like Aura Lea:
You can add a secondary chord before any other chord. To do this, simply think of a Major chord which is a 5th interval above the chord you’re landing to. For example, here are some secondary chords in the key of C Major:
- A Major is the 5 of the 2 chord, D minor.
- B Major is the 5 of the 3 chord, E minor,
- C Major is the 5 of the 4 chord, F Major.
- D Major is the 5 of the 5 chord, G Major.
- E Major is the 5 of the 6 chord, A minor.
- F# Major is the 5 of the 7 chord, B diminished *
* Note – It’s uncommon to resolve to the 7 chord directly unless it’s also a secondary chord before resolving to the next chord).
Most secondary chords do not belong to the diatonic chords of a scale, which is why they add tension or suspense to create a much more interesting chord progression. However, these chords make sense within a progression because they have a specific function of resolving to the next chord.
See this other post to learn the related chords in Major and minor key signatures, also known as diatonic chords.
If you’re in a less common key, scan the row you need below. Otherwise, skip ahead to the examples.
Secondary Chords in Major Keys
| Key center | 5 of 2 chord | 5 of 3 chord | 5 of 4 chord | 5 of 5 chord | 5 of 6 chord | 5 of 7 chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Major | A Major | B Major | C Major | D Major | E Major | F# Major |
| D Major | B Major | C# Major | D Major | E Major | F# Major | G# Major |
| E Major | C# Major | D# Major | E Major | F# Major | G# Major | A# Major |
| F Major | D Major | E Major | F Major | G Major | A Major | B Major |
| G Major | E Major | F# Major | G Major | A Major | B Major | C# Major |
| A Major | F# Major | G# Major | A Major | B Major | C# Major | D# Major |
| B Major | G# Major | A# Major | B Major | C# Major | D# Major | F Major |
| Db Major | Bb Major | C Major | Db Major | Eb Major | F Major | G Major |
| Eb Major | C Major | D Major | Eb Major | F Major | G Major | A Major |
| Gb Major | Eb Major | F Major | Gb Major | Ab Major | Bb Major | C Major |
| Ab Major | F Major | G Major | Ab Major | Bb Major | C Major | D Major |
| Bb Major | G Major | A Major | Bb Major | C Major | D Major | E Major |
Secondary Chords in Minor Keys
| Key center | 5 of 2 chord | 5 of b3 chord | 5 of 4 chord | 5 of 5 chord | 5 of b6 chord | 5 of b7 chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C minor | A Major | Bb Major | C Major | D Major | Eb Major | F Major |
| D minor | B Major | C Major | D Major | E Major | F Major | G Major |
| E minor | C# Major | D Major | E Major | F# Major | G Major | A Major |
| F minor | D Major | Eb Major | F Major | G Major | Ab Major | Bb Major |
| G minor | E Major | F Major | G Major | A Major | Bb Major | C Major |
| A minor | F# Major | G Major | A Major | B Major | C Major | D Major |
| B minor | G# Major | A Major | B Major | C# Major | D Major | E Major |
| Db minor | Bb Major | B Major | Db Major | Eb Major | E Major | G Major |
| Eb minor | C Major | Db Major | Eb Major | F Major | Gb Major | Ab Major |
| Gb minor | Eb Major | E Major | Gb Major | Ab Major | A Major | B Major |
| Ab minor | F Major | Gb Major | Ab Major | Bb Major | B Major | Db Major |
| Bb minor | G Major | Ab Major | Bb Major | C Major | Db Major | Eb Major |
Secondary Dominant Chords
Since secondary chords function as a 5 chord of any chord, this means that you can also use them as dominant chords. Dominant chords have the chord tones 1, 3, 5, and b7. This is essentially a Major chord with an added b7 tension. If needed, see this other lesson to learn more about 7th chords.
For example, here is a progression in the key of C Major using a secondary dominant chord below. The D 7 chord acts as a 5 of the 5 chord here.
As we saw with Aura Lea, lots of songs use this movement. Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it.
We can also add chord tensions to secondary dominant chords, which we will cover in the application examples at the end.
If you want to be able to improvise over dominant chords, a good place to start is by learning how to play dominant arpeggios on guitar.
Secondary Diminished Chords
We can also use diminished chords as secondary chords because they have a similar function to dominant chords. For example, a B diminished 7 chord has the notes B, D, F, and Ab, which are the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and b9 of a G 7 chord. Instead of thinking G7 to C Major, we can think B diminished 7 to C Major.
This means that we can use any diminished chord a half step below any chord you’re approaching. For example, here’s the same chord progression in the previous section except we replace the D 7 chord with an F# diminished 7 chord.
Easily look up guitar chords with the Essential Guitar Chords Chart!
This chart covers how to play:
- Major chords
- Minor chords
- Major 7 chords
- Minor 7 chords
- Dominant chords
- Half diminished chords
- Diminished chords
- Chords starting on all (12) root notes
- Over 80+ chords!
Application Examples
Now, let’s look at more examples of secondary chords in different keys with chord charts for guitar. The first three examples are secondary chords in triad form, and the last three examples are secondary chords in dominant chord form.
The examples include a chord analysis above the staff to explain how each chord is functioning within the progression.
Play through each example slowly. Listen for the moment the secondary chord lands. That’s the sound you’re training your ear to recognize.
Example 1: Key of C Major
The chords for the first example are C Major, E 7, A minor 7, and F Major 7. You can click on the chords with links to learn other ways of playing that chord.
Example 2: Key of G Major
The following chords are G Major, E 7, A minor 7, and D 7.
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The one thing to remember
The one thing to take away is that secondary chords are the 5 chord that resolve to any chord within a Major or minor key. Because these chords don’t typically fit within the related chords of a key signature, it adds an element of surprise and interest within a progression.
Experiment with these chords as Major triads, dominant chords, and even diminished chords to create more depth to your compositions or improvisation.
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All the best,
JG Music Lessons