Music-Harmony

harmonic analysis

Harmonic analysis allows us to see what chords are used in a piece of music and will help us to begin to understand harmonic progressions.

tonic dominant

The most basic chord progression involves just two chords: the tonic triad and the dominant triad. The tonic acts as a center of gravity and point of rest in harmonic progressions. The dominant acts as a counterbalance to the tonic, providing tension that resolves convincingly back to the tonic. The basic progression I - V - I represents a point of stability, a departure, and a return. This progression can be intensified by adding a seventh to the dominant.

Circle of Fifths Progressions

The other triads (ii, iii, vi, and viio) occur with varying amounts of frequency. Of these, the supertonic chord (ii) is the most common, often progressing to V as a predominant chord. In fact, the chord progression ii-V-I is the final part of a longer circle-of-fifths progression that is particularly common in tonal music. The full circle-of-fifths progression starts at the tonic and descends by fifths through all of the other diatonic harmonies until it returns to the tonic, as follows: I - IV - viio - iii - vi - ii - V - I (in major) i - iv - VII - III - VI - iio - V - i (in minor)

tonic dominant and subdominant

The subdominant triad is frequently used to prepare the dominant function, acting as a predominant chord. One typical progression is I - IV - V - I, with the tonic moving to the predominant and the dominant resolving back to the tonic. sometimes known as primary triads because of their significant structural role in harmonic progressions.

Remember about triads in minor scales

The triads built on scale degrees 1 (the tonic triad) and 4 (the subdominant triad) are always minor triads The triads built on scale degrees 2 (the supertonic triad) and 7 (the leading-tone triad) are always diminished triads The triads built on scale degrees 3 (the mediant triad), 5 (the dominant triad), and 6 (the submediant triad) are always major triads

diatonic chords

chords that happen naturally in the key (or "tonality")

Note that there are two possible triads for every scale degree

except for the tonic—the most stable harmony and the one to which the other chords gravitate.

Deceptive Cadence

he name "deceptive" comes from the fact that the phrase sounds to the listener like it is going to end by moving from the dominant to the tonic, but instead it goes somewhere else. The deceptive cadence is similar to a question mark at the end of a sentence. The most common type of deceptive cadence is the progression V - vi (or v - VI in minor). Here is an example of a phrase that ends deceptively. Click on the music to hear it played.

Roman Numerals in Minor

see paper

there is only a

semitone difference between adjacent seventh chords

Perfect and Imperfect Authentic cadences

the soprano (top voice) must end on the tonic (scale degree 1 or DO) The bass (bottom voice) must move from scale degree 5 to scale degree 1 (SOL-DO). In other words, both the V and the I chord must be in root position. If these criteria are not met, then the authentic cadence is imperfect.

non chord tones

they do not belong to the D minor chord that they embellish. passing tones because they decorate the music by filling in melodic gaps with passing motion.

Inversions

three inversions

figured bass

7 root position 6/5 first inversion 4/3 second inversion 4/2 or just 2 third inversion

Cadence

A cadence is a short harmonic progression that occurs at the end of a musical phrase.

harmony

Harmony describes how chords interact in keys to create meaningful chord progressions.

Punctuation

If a phrase is like a musical sentence, then a cadence is like the punctuation that completes that sentence. the punctuation at the end of a musical sentence can be strong (like an exclamation point) or weak (like a question mark)

Antecedent and Consequent Phrases

Since phrases ending with a half cadence sound incomplete by themselves, they are often paired with a second phrase that ends with an authentic cadence. These two phrases are paired together like a musical question and answer (also known as the antecedent and the consequent). There are innumerable instances of this antecedent-consequent pairing in music.

Resolution of the dominant seventh chord

The dominant seventh chord is a dramatically tense chord that requires resolution. The seventh of a dominant seventh chord always resolves down by step. The leading-tone in a dominant seventh chord resolves up by step to the tonic

Triads in a major Key

The triads built on scale degrees 1 (the tonic triad), 4 (the subdominant triad), and 5 (the dominant triad) are always major triads The triads built on scale degrees 2 (the supertonic triad), 3 (the mediant triad), and 6 (the submediant triad) are always minor triads The triad built on scale degree 7 (the leading-tone triad) is always a diminished triad

Fully Diminished Seventh Chord

Thee fully-diminished seventh chord consists of a diminished triad with a diminished seventh added above the root

Authentic Cadence

most common and recognizable type of cadence, found in nearly every musical style. progression from the dominant to the tonic V - I in major C - I in minor provides a strong sense of closure at the end of a phrase Since an authentic cadence progresses from an unstable dominant to a stable tonic, it provides a much stronger sense of closure and resolution than any other cadence. Remember that a cadence is a resting point in the music, not simply a pair of chords.

How can you name triads

by the scale degree of its root (scale degree is from what scale the triad occurs)

seventh chord

is produced by stacking another third on top of a triad. It is called a seventh chord because of the interval of a seventh from the root to the top note of the stack. four notes called root, third, fifth, and the seventh

dominant seventh chord

is the type of seventh chord that occurs naturally over the dominant scale degree (5) in a major scale. Dominant seventh chords are also known as major-minor seventh chords, because they consist of a major triad and a minor seventh has more harmonic tension than a dominant triad alone The dominant seventh chord consists of a major triad with a minor seventh added above the root

Plagal Cadence

the plagal cadence arrives on the tonic, but it precedes this tonic with a subdominant chord, creating a IV - I progression at the end of a phrase (or iv - i in minor). The plagal cadence is conclusive, but not as strong as the authentic cadence. The plagal cadence is sometimes called the "Amen cadence" since it frequently accompanies those words at the end of church hymns, as in the example below.

Half Cadence

A half cadence arrives on the dominant (V) at the end of a phrase Any phrase that ends on the dominant (V) ends with a half cadence. Since the half cadence does not resolve to the tonic, it does not convey the same feeling of closure or stability as an authentic cadence. It is more of a temporary arrival, acting more like a comma in the middle of a sentence than a conclusive period. Here are two half cadences: one in C major and one in A minor. Click on each image below to hear the cadences played.

to determine whether a piece of music is in major or minor

Look at the first and last pitches in the bass line. Music often begins and nearly always ends on a root-position tonic chord. Look for raised leading tones. This indicates a minor key.

Half Diminished Seventh Chord

The half-diminished seventh chord consists of a diminished triad with a minor seventh added above the root

Major Seventh Chords

The major seventh chord consists of a major triad with a major seventh added above the root

Minor Seventh Chord

The minor seventh chord consists of a minor triad with a minor seventh added above the root

Roman Numbers in Major

The triads in a major key can also be labeled using Roman numerals Uppercase numerals indicate major triads (I for the tonic triad, IV for the subdominant triad, and V for the dominant triad) Minor triads are labeled using lowercase numerals (ii for the supertonic triad, iii for the mediant triad, and vi for the submediant triad). The leading tone triad is represented with a lowercase numeral and a diminished circle (viio). This pattern of Roman numerals is the same for all major keys. Roman numerals must be preceded by a key name in order for the analysis to make sense.