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It is Question 2 under Section 1 on "Connecting Root Position Tonic and Dominant Chords" from Problem Set 4 of Artusi, which my Music Theory II class uses.

The only feedback I get from Artusi is "Your progression is missing the third in m. 1", which it wouldn't expand on.

I still can't figure out how to make it 100% correct, so any guidance will be greatly appreciated!

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    Perhaps if you edit the question to add the reasoning that led you to choose the notes in measure 1 then we can explain where that reasoning went astray.
    – phoog
    Mar 7, 2021 at 8:22
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    It's really hilarious to me that there's now a program named Artusi that points out all of one's errors. (Artusi famously attacked Monteverdi for so-called "errors" in his compositions.) Mar 7, 2021 at 16:44

2 Answers 2

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In key A♭, V>I is E♭>A♭. You have all three notes of the A♭ triad in bar 2, but bar 1 isn't an E♭ triad.

There's a couple of E♭ notes in the bass clef, the lower of which makes the potential chord in root position, but the treble clef is awry! The E♭ triad needs E♭, G and B♭. the latter two will go in either order on the treble clef.

I guess you're being told there's no 3rd - as there is no 3rd. Not a particularly helpful comment - otherwise you wouldn't be posting the question! Ask yourself why you thought the C and A♮ would do on the treble clef. In a V>I change, the 3rd of the V triad is most important, as it's just one semitone below the root of I - and that's one of the factors making V>I work.

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  • It looks to me like OP thought m.1 was in the bass clef and not treble.
    – Duston
    Mar 8, 2021 at 14:09
  • @Duston - that would make 3 Eb, and a C natural. So probably not. And suddenly get it right in bar 2?
    – Tim
    Mar 8, 2021 at 14:22
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The V chord in Ab major is Eb major; however, the chord written in m. 1 is A diminished. Rewrite the first chord as Eb major, and you'll have it.

The error message you're getting is letting you know that you're missing the third of the expected chord.

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  • How do I add a third of the expected chord? I thought one the notes in a chord has to be left out for this. By the way, is how I looked up chords V and I in Ab major, by referencing this diagram: pianomusictheory.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/… V-I in Ab Major: [EbGBb-AbCEb] [EbGBb-EbCEb] ? S: G-C A: Bb-Eb T: Eb-Ab B: Eb-Ab Mar 7, 2021 at 6:33
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    @aralmariv_1207 The chord you currently have written is simply the wrong chord. Rewrite it as the correct chord, and the third will be there automatically. Were you to leave out a note, it would not be the third, especially of a V chord. The chart you used is correct. Note that your chord is Eb, Eb, C, and A-natural. None of the chords in the chart has an A-natural, and the V chord doesn't have a C.
    – Aaron
    Mar 7, 2021 at 6:37
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    @aralmariv_1207 Everyone writing here is correct, the primary problem is that you’ve written completely wrong notes for the V chord. However, just a note on your comment where you said you were supposed to leave a note out for this progression: I think you’re thinking of V7 going to I, not V going to I. It’s pretty rare to leave a note out when the progression is V to I, and, as others have said, it wouldn’t be the third that you’d omit anyway. If V7 goes to I, then you would usually leave the fifth out of one of the chords. Mar 7, 2021 at 12:06

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