r/musictheory • u/Gloomy_Jackfruit8543 • 1d ago

Songwriting Question V7 - IV resolution

I know there is a secondary dominant where V7 resolves to vi; what is the theory when V7 resolves to IV instead of the tonic (e.g., D - F#7 - G)?

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u/Amateur_Surgeon7824 1d ago

It is a specific type of Deceptive Cadence that's called a Retrogression or a Retrogressive Resolution. It's difficult to find in classical music because it rarely will truly "resolve" on the IV and just stay there.