THE NEAPOLITAN ♭II CHORD
This page is a supplement to The Complete Musician: Chapter 23 - The Neapolitan Chord (♭II)
THIS WEEK’S PROS:
The chapter is very short
I think you’ve already learned about N chords before
There is the most helpful video ever below
THIS WEEK’S CONS:
That gives you more time to study for the midterm next week …
WHAT IS A NEAPOLITAN 6 CHORD ANYWAY?
Watch this extremely helpful video while I abandon my career because how can I possibly compete with this magic …
IDK who this dude is, but he should be your professor; I’m going to go become a Sandwich Artist at Subway …
RECAP
NEAPOLITAN 6TH CHORDS can also be called/labeled: Neapolitan Chords, Neapolitans, ♭II, ♭II⁶, N, N⁶
They are named after NAPOLI (Naples, Italy) where a bunch of Italian opera composers of the 18th century overused this chord
They are sometimes referred to as the PHRYGIAN CHORD because they occur as a natural triad on the second scale degree of the Phrygian mode - which is the scale that goes from 3 - 3 (3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 1 - 2 - 3 or 1 -♭2 - ♭3 - 4 - 5 - ♭6 - ♭7 - 1)
They are almost always in minor keys, but sometimes can be found in major
The chord tones are ♭2 - 4 -♭6
In minor, the ♭6 is already included, but in major, you will have to lower the 6 as well!
They are always in first inversion with the chordal 3rd (the 4th scale degree) in the bass (4 -♭6 - ♭2)
A normal chord on 2 in minor is the iiᵒ, so if you lower the 2 by a half and leave the other two notes, you get the ♭II
It functions as a predominant chord, replacing IV or ii and moves to V
IN MAJOR ♭II is usually preceded by I or a borrowed chord
IN MINOR ♭II is preceded by other predominant or tonic chords
♭II - V - I should move ♭2 → 7 → 1 (a chromatic orbit around tonic)
V/♭II is a thing … it’s ♭6 - 1 - ♭3 … a.k.a. ♭VI (is your mind blown?)
They can serve as pivot chords - most often as a way to modulate to the major ♭6 key (by serving as its V)
N⁶ & SEQUENCING IN LIONEL RICHIE’S “HELLO”
Lionel Richie’s much-memefied 1983 hit “Hello” shifts between A natural and A harmonic minor (with the use of both G and G# 7th scale degrees). The tune includes several ♭II chords approached by their dominant (V/♭II - which is also the VI of the key). In the analysis below, I have identified the VIs as V/♭IIs because they fit into a larger sequential pattern of V/X → X with D2 movement:
V/iv → iv → V/III → III → V/♭II → ♭II → (III⁺) → V → i.
