CHORD REVIEW

CHROMATIC CHORDS

While Music Theory I-III was spent in solidifying understanding of DIATONIC CHORDS (triads and seventh chords that occur naturally in a given scale) and APPLIED CHORDS (chords that are borrowed from closely-related keys where generally a non-tonic diatonic chord is serving as a momentary tonic), time in Theory IV was spent working with more advanced chromatic chords. Chromatic chords can be broken down into several categories (and they get more advanced, even, than what we will cover in this course), including MODAL MIXTURE/BORROWED, NEAPOLITAN, and AUGMENTED SIXTH CHORDS.

APPLIED CHORDS

The most common chord outside of a given key signature is an applied chords. Applied chords are almost always stand-alone chords (sometimes there can be two or three or a few measures’ worth) that are being “applied” to a non-tonic diatonic chord in the tonality. What this means is that for a few beats or measures of a piece, another chord in the key is operating as a temporary tonic and the chords building toward that temporary tonic are expressed in terms of its tonality.

To find an applied chord, treat any scale degree of a key as a tonic/root with its own major key. An applied chord will be any chord within that temporary tonic expressed using accidentals. The most common applied chords are the V or V⁷ and the viiᵒ or viiᵒ⁷ of a diatonic key. These are most common because they most strongly “pull” toward their tonic. The most common diatonic chord that is applied is the V chord with the viiᵒ, IV, and ii being the next common.

If we were in the key of C major and found an F♯ in a chord, (let’s say D - F♯ - A), it would be easy to identify this chord as the V/V because a D triad is the V of G (which is the V of C). Out loud, we would call the D triad a “five of five” rather than a “major two” (II) because you would not find a II in major, since the ii chord is minor (D - F - A) in a major scale.

Whenever you see an accidental serving functionally in a chord (in the context of traditional Western Classical Art Music), you should first assume and then rule out whether or not it is an applied chord before moving on to other chromatic options …

MODAL MIXTURE/BORROWED CHORDS

Mixing modes is the intentional use of chords outside of the tonic key but still modally related to tonic in some way. This most often manifests itself as chords from the parallel minor key showing up in a piece that is in major or major chords showing up in a piece that is in minor. These are great for developing a more melodic, even chromatic, bassline and for creating a more dramatic or surprising chord progression. The most typical borrowed chords involve altering a single scale degree (or possibly two) to change the quality of a diatonic chord. Here are the most common:

CHORDS WITH LOWEReD 3

  • i (1 -♭3 - 5)

  • ♭III (♭3 - 5 - ♭7) … this also has a flat 7, otherwise it would be augmented

  • ♭VI (♭6 - 1 - ♭3)

CHORDS WITH LOWEReD 6

  • iiᵒ/iiø⁷ (2 - 4 - ♭6 /2 - 4 - ♭6 - 1)

  • iv (4 - ♭6 - 1)

  • ♭VI (♭6 - 1 - ♭3) … this also has a flat 3, otherwise it would be augmented

CHORDS WITH RAISED 3

  • I (1 - ♮3 - 5) … in minor, the use of a major tonic triad usually occurs at the end of the piece (if at all) and is called a PICARDY THIRD

OTHER RAISED SCALE DEGREES

  • III (3 - ♯5 - 7)

  • VI (6 - ♯1 - 3)

NEAPOLITAN CHORDS

Neapolitan chords are still technically under the “Modal Mixture” umbrella but they get their own fancy name. This chord can also be referred to as the Phrygian chord because it is borrowed from the Phrygian mode (1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1). In addition, the chord is always found in first inversion so it is usually represented with the symbol N⁶.

The Neapolitan chord is the ♭II⁶ with scale degrees 4 - ♭6 -♭2. Since it is not from the major or minor mode, it will be a borrowed chord in both tonalities, although it is more commonly used in minor than major. It functions as a predominant chord, replacing IV or ii and moves to V before (usually) cadencing on I/i. In major,♭II⁶ is usually preceded by I or a borrowed chord and in minor,♭II⁶ is preceded by another predominant or tonic chord. In addition, they can serve as pivot chords - most often as a way to modulate to the major ♭6 key (by serving as its V).

AUGMENTED SIXTH CHORDS

Augmented sixth chords use both a ♯4 (the most common tonicizing non-diatonic tone from the V/V) and a ♭6 (the most common non-diatonic tone from a number of borrowed chords); so they float somewhere between tonicization and modal mixture. They can serve both predominant and dominant functions, which make them uniquely suited for moving from a predominant to dominant area. There are several types/qualities of augmented sixth chords but they all have a few things in common:

ALL AUGMENTED SIXTH CHORDS …

  • Serve as “predominant” in that they all have scale degrees ♯4 - ♭6 - 1

  • are preceded by predominant or tonic chords

  • are immediately followed by a dominant area chord like V, V⁷, or I⁶⁴ (since the ♯4 and ♭6 will both resolve to 5)

  • have ♯4 - ♭6 - 1 and one other note

  • usually have the ♯4 in the soprano voice (but it may be in the alto or tenor)

  • are mostly found in first inversion with the ♭6 in the bass and the root of the chord (♯4) above, making the distance between ♭6 and ♯4 above the interval of an AUGMENTED SIXTH (which is where the chord gets its name)

ITALIAN AUGMENTED SIXTH (It⁺⁶)

The Italian Augmented Sixth Chord (It⁺⁶) is an augmented sixth chord that uses ♭6 - 1 - 1 - ♯4. It only has three pitches in it with the root of the key doubled. In C, this chord would be A♭- C - F♯. Notice that if we respell the chord tones enharmonically, this chord could also be: A♭- C - G♭ which are the same chord tones of an A♭⁷ chord without the chordal 5 (E♭) so often, you might see a ♭VI⁷ (without a fifth) which you could also reinterpret as an It⁺⁶.

FRENCH AUGMENTED SIXTH (FR⁺⁶)

The French Augmented Sixth Chord (Fr⁺⁶) is an augmented sixth chord that uses ♭6 - 1 - 2 - ♯4. When this chord resolves to V, the 2 stays in the same voice. It is also referred to as the Fr⁴³ because if you reorder the notes, you will see it’s actually a strange seventh chord starting on scale degree 2 (2 - ♯4 - ♭6 - 1) so to have the ♭6 in the bass implies a second inversion chord off the 2 as the root.

GERMAN AUGMENTED SIXTH (GeR⁺⁶)

The German Augmented Sixth Chord (Ger⁺⁶) is an augmented sixth chord that uses ♭6 - 1 - ♭3 - ♯4. German 6ths usually move to a I/i⁶⁴ chord before the V chord which would allow you to keep the ♭3 voice before resolving it down to 2 in V. It is also referred to as the Gr⁶⁵ because the introduction of the ♭3 makes the root position chord a seventh chord starting on ♯4 (♯4 - ♭6 - 1 - ♭3). This is the most common augmented sixth chord.