BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
166 / 18210 · Module 6 — Cadences, Phrase Structure, Harmonic Rhythm, and Hearing Musical “Punctuation”← prev⊞ allnext →

6.3Why V7 → I feels so strong

G7 contains:

G B D F

G B D F

C contains:

C E G

C E G

The crucial motion is:

B → C

B → C

and:

F → E

F → E

Those are tiny, highly directed movements.

So when your ear hears the dominant 7th, it often predicts the tonic before it arrives.

This is why a good ear player can often anticipate the next chord.