Questions tagged [functional-harmony]
For questions to related to the accepted uses of harmonic progression within the common-practice period. Questions may also necessitate the chord-progressions tag.
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Can dominant chords be specified independently of a tonic (of a key)? [duplicate]
The dominant chord is defined in relation to the (5th) scale degree on which it is built. This definition can often be found alongside other chord types, such as the major triad, whose definition ...
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Complex chord progression (secondary dominants) with simple step-wise melody?
In many musical pieces, complex harmonic relations can be identified in the chord progression even when the melody can intuitively be "felt" to progress in a very simple step-wise manner.
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Why Should I always follow the rules of functional harmony? [closed]
I have used functional harmony many times in my compositions to write chord progressions with success, however there are times when using functional harmony doesn't sound good to me and others when I ...
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How do you define Harmonic Retrogression with regard to intensity?
I was doing some practice problems in the AP Barron's Music Theory book, and one of the practice problems asks: “When harmonies within a phrase move from a strong intensity to a less strong intensity [...
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Is there such a thing as a stable or unstable tone in scales?
I'm writing a song in 4/4 in A major, and my melody ends first on the 7th degree leading tone (G#) and then the second time on the 6th degree (F#). These are supposed to be unstable tones, yet if I ...
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How to approach Iminor - VIImajor progression in a functional harmony way
I am wondering how one would approach a Iminor - VII major progression.
In a simple form something like: Am Am G# G# (just triads)
The idea rose from practicing melodic minor (in a jazz way, so same ...
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2 atypical cadences, are they half cadences?
So, I analyzed the harmony and structure of Grande Valse Brilliante op. 18, and most of the cadences make perfect sense to me, but there are 2 cadences that don't really, one on the tonic, which I can ...
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Ascending and descending chord movement and its effect on harmonic function
Is the cadence I to V the same regardless of its position relative to the tonic?
E.g In C major C4 E4 G4 --> G4 B4 D5 vs C4 E4 G4 --> G3 B3 D4
The thing that has made me question this is the ...
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How to (decently) harmonize the modes of the "darkest scale ever"?
I was hearing this very interesting video by Rick Beato and Nahre Sol about the 7 modes of the "darkest scale ever" (the double harmonic major scale):
The 7 ...
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Missing I (1st) chord in the progression: an example
Could you indicate an example of a song in a certain key that doesn't express the tonic chord (I chord) in its progression? Are harmonic progressions of this type possible in pop music?
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How to recognize harmonic intervals?
I've been doing some ear training, I'm quite at ease when recognizing melodic intervals, whether they are ascending or descending intervals, yet when it comes to harmonic intervals, I don't know how ...
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Music theory - secondary dominants
Do i still have to use 1st inversion when using secondary diminished triads or sevenths?
I've been watching some videos but it didn't go over this.
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Incomplete spelling of vii dim7 and vii half dim7
For the two chords above, diminished 7th (viio7) and half diminished 7th (viiø7), are they usually spelled complete or incomplete? Or both?
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Is my SATB harmonisation correct in this example?
I am so paranoid about SATB harmonisation, because there are so many rules, and I feel overwhelmed. I literally feel like I have a hundred hidden mistakes in this question.
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Can we understand subdominant/dominant chord functions in terms of them being tonics of other keys?
Does anyone know a textbook or some music theorist explaining subdominant/dominant chord functions in terms of the two chords being the tonics in subdominant/dominant keys?
Background: I was thinking ...
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Understanding function of diminished chord in Paganini's 4th caprice
I'm trying to understand this simple progression in the middle of Paganini's 4th caprice.
This seems like I-?-I-V7-I in Eb major, but I am unable to figure out what the function of the second chord is....
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What's going on functionally/structurally in these four bars of Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto?
From Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto 1st movement 2nd subject:
I've been trying to understand what's going on structurally in this passage but I'm having trouble figuring out what's going on. In ...
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Relevant literature on Mathematical and neurological theories for functional harmony?
I’m interested in finding out what are the current proposed theories surrounding the expectation + release behaviour of functional harmony.
From what I reckon, functional harmony seems to be a human ...
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The 2nd flat in a minor chord progression
If I have the following chord progression in a song in key of Bm:
Bm G A Bm
and then in the bridge a C major chord jumps in the progression, as below:
... D G A (C) Bm....
(C introduces the ...
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Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (Appasionata): harmony of the 2nd movement
I'm trying to identify the harmony used in the main theme of Beethoven's Appassionata's second movement, and I would like someone to review the analysis I have done, and help me identify a couple of ...
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Can I use the chord progression i - v - VII - iv? (Am - Em - G - Dm : in A minor scale)
I'm currently studing and learning about functional harmony and chord progressions.
I tried the chord progression i - v - VII - iv (A natural minor scale : Am - Em - G - Dm7/A) and get a nice and ...
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A chord progression from Leavitt: how to analyze the diminished chord
The question below is referred to W. Leavitt - Getting up there (duet), Vol. 2
The piece is in key of C. In the last system, upper staff, we have the following chord progression:
C A-6 A-7 F Gdim ...
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Esus4 in the key of C. How can I use it?
Recently I've discovered that Esus4 chord can be built by using notes from C major scale (Esus4 notes: E-A-B - no 'sharps' or 'flats'). But I don't know how can I use the chord in the keys of C or Am
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How to construct functions and chords of a scale?
For example
I ii iii IV V vi vii
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Cmaj Dmin Emin Fmaj Gmaj Amin Bdim
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What is the harmony of this bar from Chopin's Minute waltz?
Consider following excerpt from Chopin's Minute waltz in D flat major.
The last bar is the chord of D flat major (tonic).
What is the chord of the penultimate bar? Why is there an A flat and A natural ...
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How does the concept of functional harmony help me pick the next chord while composing?
I'm trying to understand the concept of functional harmony as it pertains to composing chord progressions, in order to compose my own progressions.
I've read a few articles and watched some videos, I ...
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What does a Roman numeral 1 with a superscript 6 mean? [duplicate]
The image above is a functional chord symbol. But what does the number mean?
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Is there a functional interpretation for VIIb in La Follia?
La Follia chord peogression is usually written as:
i - V7 - i - VII - III - VII - i - V7 (first eight bars)
i -V7 - VII - III - VII - i,V7 - i (second eight bars)
I can understand how this progression ...
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is '4 minor' sub-dominant?
Of the 3 'functions' - Tonic / Sub-dominant / Dominant, which is '4 minor'?
Is '4 minor', like 4, sub-dominant, or is it dominant? (Obviously, it's not a 'proper' dominant - but then, neither is iii, ...
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How is Db major functioning here? Subdominant Prolongation? Some kind of Dominant?
While improvising for a piece in Eb major, I came across an interesting progression. Eb -> Ab -> Db -> Eb But something that I couldn't figure out was the function of the Db. Here is the ...
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Diminished seventh spelling but functioning as an Augmented Sixth?
I know that there are many ways to resolve a diminished seventh chord, but only a few ways to resolve an augmented sixth chord. I have done modulations from the minor tonic to the major subtonic using ...
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IVm6 or IVm7? (in major)
(Note: using the key of C major as generic instead of roman numerals.)
Yesterday I was reading the book "Hearin' the Changes" (by Coker, Knapp and Vincent), which discusses Fm7-B♭7-C as an ...
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flattened-seventh chord function [duplicate]
I this post, I received some information on the usage of a flattened-seventh chord in progressions, which, along with the flattened-third, seem to be popular choices in the rock world to add flavor.
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Functional harmony: extending the minor triads in Minor Swing
I was having a go at this tune Minor Swing which solo sections follow this utterly simple changes:
I've been soloing over that using a backing track and also I've been playing simple voicings of the ...
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What is the functional role of the subtonic chord?
In this chart
the subtonic major chord can come before the mediant and submedian chords. Does this imply that it has a tonic functionality? If so that seems counter-intuitive; it seems to share more ...
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Use cases for modulating keys?
So I'm just learning how to modulate keys and first of all I want to make sure I understand the concept correctly.... the way I've learned it is basically using a chord function in one scale and ...
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Is functional harmony considered homophonic?
Sorry if this is an obvious question, but I just want to clear this up. As far as I understand about voice leading, there are essentially two main types. Homophony and polyphony. Functional harmony ...
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What percentage of the time did Bach and others use chord inversions in chorales?
I know the frequencies of his "Normal Fundamental Harmonic Progressions" i.e., the progression of chord roots. I'd like to know the percentage of time that he used 1st or 2nd inversions in his ...
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What determines the function of a chord?
I’ve been trying to learn about functional harmony and I keep asking myself the above question. Each chord seems to have a general function (with exceptions) within scales, but why is that so? Were ...
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Why is vi6 (submediant chord in first inversion) rarely used?
I read that vi6 is almost completely absent – is there a reason for this?
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Can anyone confirm or discredit the term "Prime Scales" when dealing with the modern modes
http://www.tonalcentre.org/Scales.html
In the linked webpage the author speaks of "prime scales" and says "Remarkably enough, out of all possible scales there are only five prime scales, in which ...
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Can you help me analyse some Baroque playing?
im trying to make serious study of Ted Greenes Baroque improvisation lessons on Youtube, and am hoping someone more experienced can tell me the function of a particular two chords;
The section of the ...
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What is the function of the non diatonic chords in this intro?
I am trying to understand the harmony of this intro of a song but I can't seem to make sense of it. The song is in C and the intro is four bars:
| C | Ebmaj7 Dm7 | C | Ab Gm7
And then ...
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Function of Minor sixth chords
What are the precise harmonic functions of the Minor sixth chord? I remember that I read somewhere that they play often the role of the I degree in a chord progression (like the often used 6/9 chord) ...
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How do the alternating C and Db function in this modulation?
So I am writing a rondo in Eb major and there are 3 different key areas used. Those key areas are Eb major obviously, C minor, and Eb minor. For the modulation to C minor, I simply did this:
...
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When does one omit the fifth in V7 chord in classical harmony?
The textbooks on classical harmony that I have read (Leo Semlek, "Klassikalise harmoonia lühiõpik" ["A Short Textbook on Classical Harmony"] and "Klassikalise harmoonia õpik" ["A Textbook on Classical ...
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How to determine the degree to which diminished seventh chords and half-diminished seventh chords belong in major scales?
I would like to know how to determine to which degree belongs diminished seventh chords and half-diminished seventh chords in major scales, and which function do they exert.
As the fully diminished ...
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Characteristic scale degrees
Came across an article at openMsicTheory.com about harmonic function. Below excerpt was about finding function of a chord
Each of the three harmonic functions — tonic (T), subdominant (S), and ...
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Hindemith's Traditional harmony Book 1, Chapter II, rule 1
I recently started working my way through Hindemith's Traditional harmony Book 1 on my own. The instructions are short and simple, but sometimes too much so for a self-learner.
I have reached ...
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Functional analysis of the Pink Panther
I'm getting started on functional analysis and trying to understand the Pink Panther theme by Henry Mancini.
These is the chord chart I got for the first part (from someone more musically competent ...
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