- Parent Category: Resources
- In: College Music Resources
Here
is a description of 4 different chord techniques used in musical
compositions that are a bit unorthadox. At the bottom, there is
also a short description of macro analysis. This is just a quick
reference. Click to buy the book below if you are looking for a
more in depth discussion of these concepts.
Borrowed
Chords
Chords that are borrowed from a parallel major or minor key (also called modal mixture)
Chords
are often borrowed from minor keys, when the composer is
writing in a major key (ii dim, ii half dim, iv, flat 6th,
vii dim
7)
Macro
Analysis
Extract
the roots of the chords, write the chord symbol
Place
slurs where ever there is a circle progression (4th
up, 5th down)
Place
dotted slurs between diminished 7ths to root
This
way compositional types are more easily recognized
Neapolitan
6th
chords
A
major triad on the lowered second scale degree of a major or
minor scale
Example:
C Major Neapolitan 6th Db
major root on F
Example:
a minor Bb major, root on D
Minor
lower root
Major
lower root and 3rd
Usually
found going N6 to V or N6 to iv to I or N6 to I 6-4
Augmented 6th
chords
Altered
chords to include the interval of an augmented 6th
Italian
6th M3rd Aug. 6th
French
6th M3rd Aug. 4th
Aug. 6th
German
6th M3rd P5th Aug. 6th
Chromatic
Mediants
Altered
Mediant (3) and Submediant (6) triads and sometimes 7th
chords
In
G major diatonic vi is minor altered chords
E major, Eb major, and Eb minor, diatonic iii is minor altered chords
B
major, Bb major, Bb minor
In
e minor diatonic VI is major altered chords
c minor, C# major, C# minor, diatonic III is major altered
chords G minor, G# major, G# minor



