As of May 31, 2023, we have updated our Code of Conduct.

Hot answers tagged

25 votes
Accepted

What is this 'degree' symbol on a roman numeral chord?

The little circle means "diminished" - so this is a diminished chord(See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_notation) A diminished chord is a triad with two minor thirds above the root - ...
Alice Heaton's user avatar
8 votes

Naming a chord based on key

Eb is the subdominant of Bb, so definitely Ebm6 rather than D#m6. Gb belongs not only in the Eb minor scale, but even in the Ebmi chord, so I'd write it as Gb everywhere, including the sheet. Ebm6/Gb.
Divizna's user avatar
  • 862
7 votes

What is this 'degree' symbol on a roman numeral chord?

The "degree" symbol means a diminished chord. Thus, ii° is a diminished chord built on scale degree 2. In the key of F minor, it's G diminished (G-Bb-Db).
ttw's user avatar
  • 24.4k
7 votes

What is this 'degree' symbol on a roman numeral chord?

It is the symbol for a diminished chord. The ii chord in F minor is G-Bb-Db, a triad with a minor third and a diminished 5th. That is the construction for any diminished triad but it is diatonic to ...
John Belzaguy's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Is the Dmaj chord made from D major scale or the C Dorian mode scale?

It is made from the 1st, 3rd and 5th of the Dmajor scale. Notes D, F#, A The 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of C Dorian are; Notes C, Eb, G The root chord you get from C Dorian is a C minor chord. C Dorian is ...
OwenM's user avatar
  • 1,517
6 votes

What is this 'degree' symbol on a roman numeral chord?

Adding a little wider information to the fact that 'o' means a diminished chord - built on the 2nd degree of the minor scale (and 7th degree of the major). Because of the way the notes fall, there ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 186k
5 votes

Naming a chord based on key

clearly in the key of Bb we opt to use F# rather Gb. Why? Write it as G♭ and your problem goes away. But if for some peculiar reason you DID suppose it was appropriate to write it as D♯m6/F♯ then ...
Laurence's user avatar
  • 87.1k
5 votes

Difference between perfect 4th and perfect 5th

It doesn't matter which tone is the "root" or the lower of the two. An interval is just a measure of distance. Using octave numbers with letters makes it a bit easier to talk about without ...
Michael Curtis's user avatar
4 votes

Is the Dmaj chord made from D major scale or the C Dorian mode scale?

A D major chord is the tonic chord of the key of D but it is not only made from the D major scale. It however is not made from a C Dorian scale, whose D chord (ii) is D minor. Thinking just in terms ...
John Belzaguy's user avatar
3 votes

With black keys, does one use curved or straight fingers; what about curved or straight between the black keys?

This depends on many factors: which hand, hand size, hand span, finger length, the specific number and arrangement of notes in the chord, fingering, articulation, and what else is happening in the ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 75.5k
3 votes

Difference between perfect 4th and perfect 5th

The fourth and fifth are not the same interval; they are inversions of each other. Intervals are always computed from the lowest note. A perfect fifth has a ratio of 3/2. A perfect fourth has a ratio ...
ttw's user avatar
  • 24.4k
2 votes

Chord Progression ear training

Without knowing exactly what level you have achieved in ear training and based on your comment I have a few recommendations. To me a very important key to developing ear training is to learn to hear ...
John Belzaguy's user avatar
2 votes

Is the Dmaj chord made from D major scale or the C Dorian mode scale?

The D major chord comes from the key D major, which has the key signature of two sharps - F♯ and C♯. Thus the notes that make up the root triad are D, F♯ and A. C Dorian has the parent key of B♭. That ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 186k
2 votes

Difference between perfect 4th and perfect 5th

As suggested in a comment, there is an acoustic aspect to consonance and dissonance: Harmonic partials In (perhaps overly-) simple terms, the sound of a single note is composed of many individual ...
Theodore's user avatar
  • 2,514
2 votes

How can I improvise singing a melody over a chord progression?

Learning to improvise, like other kinds of learning, is best done with the educational idea of "scaffolding," that new skills build on prior skills. So start simple and build up. Yes, ...
Andy Bonner's user avatar
  • 13.2k
2 votes

With black keys, does one use curved or straight fingers; what about curved or straight between the black keys?

I don't think it's a particularly important issue to dwell on. It will depend on the relative length of each finger (and thumb) on your hand, and that's a factor that won't be the same for everyone, ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 186k
2 votes

With black keys, does one use curved or straight fingers; what about curved or straight between the black keys?

TLDR: As long as you touch all the keys on the right part of your finger tips (having the natural angle of around 30-60 degrees: not close to 90 degrees that your nail touch the keys or close to 0 ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
2 votes

Gm+6 Chord notation

The latest picture indicates that this is a Gm+6 chord. Since there is a Gm6/4 chord earlier in the excerpt, I am forced to assume that the "+6" means "add6" and the resulting ...
Dekkadeci's user avatar
  • 13.3k
1 vote

Naming a chord based on key

It's hard to say without context, but if this were spelled with Gb rather than F# it would make a C half-diminished chord, or a borrowed ii⍉6/5. If the following chord is a V or I6/4 you'd have ...
jefnic23's user avatar
1 vote

Gm+6 Chord notation

This just MIGHT be an attempt to apply chord symbols to 'classical' harmony. There is a chord called an Augmented 6th. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_sixth_chord An Augmented 6th rooted on ...
Laurence's user avatar
  • 87.1k
1 vote

How can I improvise singing a melody over a chord progression?

For me, this goes entirely on the intuitive level, no conscious thinking about it. The old "play it by the ear", or in this case, "sing it by the ear". Often I don't even give any ...
Divizna's user avatar
  • 862
1 vote

Difference between perfect 4th and perfect 5th

I have some bad news for your app project: It's impossible to rank intervals as being more or less dissonant than others. "Consonant" and "dissonant" are subjective words,* ...
Andy Bonner's user avatar
  • 13.2k
1 vote

Is the Dmaj chord made from D major scale or the C Dorian mode scale?

For what it's worth, the D major chord can be made from any diatonic scale with a key signature of one, two, or three sharps, so: G major A Dorian B Phrygian C Lydian D Mixolydian E minor F♯ Locrian ...
phoog's user avatar
  • 17.9k
1 vote

The ambiguity of certain chord qualities in Roman numeral Analysis

What are you trying to analyze? Use an analysis method that matches the harmonic style of the piece you're analyzing. Roman numeral analysis was developed to analyze diatonic functional harmony in the ...
Michael Curtis's user avatar

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible