School of Music, Western Michigan University,
Kalamazoo, MI 49008-3831
code@wmich.edu
http://www.wmich.edu/mus-theo/courses/m161_FAQ.html Revised: 10 Jan 2000
*** From Wednesday, 26 January ***
Q: The other day you said that you can't have V/IV. Why?
A: V of IV (in a major key) is not an altered chord, it is the regular tonic chord: I. V7/IV is an altered chord (it is not the same as I7). Also, V/iv (in a minor key) is not the same as the tonic (i).
Q: Is it true that the diminished 5th in dominant 7th chords always resolve inwards?
A: Yes. And if the 7th is voiced below the 3rd, the augmented 4th should resolve outwards by step.
Q: Is it possible to omit the 3rd of any 7th chord? (like on the test)
A: It is possible but only in an exceptional circumstance. If you must omit a tone it is best to omit the 5th. You can NEVER omit the root or 7th because then it will no longer be the same chord.
Q: Is there only one chromatic version for each chord, or more than one?
A: Each diatonic chord has a 'family' of related chormatic chords. For example, V/ii, V7/ii, viio/ii, and viio7/ii are all chromatic versions of a vi chord.
*** From Wednesday, 18 January ***
Q: Does an alteration always resolve up by step if it is raised (#) and down if it is a lowered (b) tone?
A: Almost always. Sometimes there may be something exceptional about the following chord which may require an exceptional resolution.
Q: Could you have viio/vi for example, instead of V/vi?
A: Yes. Secondary leading tone chords are also common.
Q: What exactly does it mean to tonicize?
A: To "tonicize" a chord is to temporarily treat it as if it were the tonic from its own key. This is accomplished through secondary dominants. It is only a temporary tonicization, because the progression quickly returns to the diatonic chords and progressions of the original key and does not modulate and cadence in the new key.
Q: If we're in Bb and have V/vi, why can't we just call it III (as opposed to the regular diatonic iii)?
A: Some people do. It is always possible to use alterations and figures to construct a Roman numeral symbol to describe any chord. The point however is to use symbols which do more than simply represent an accurate spelling of the pitches in a chord, but also tell you something about the function and purpose of that chord. V/vi tells you that it is a dominant function chord borrowed from a closely related key used to tonicize the submediant.
Q: Are secondary chords only linear?
A: The origin of secondary chords is from the use of chromatic non-harmonic tones. Although the altered tones must still be prepared linearly (stepwise), root and 1st inverstion secondary chords as a whole need not be treated as linear chords. You can still, for example, leap down a fifth from root to root. 2nd and 3rd inversions must be treated as linear chords however.
Q: Can a secondary dominant resolve to a vi chord from the secondary key?
A: This is called a deceptive resolution (like a deceptive cadence), and can occur.
Q: Are secondary dominants where III7 and VI7 chords come from in a III7-VI7-V7-I turn-around?
A: Yes. Many of the chord substitutions found in jazz (bebop) harmony have there origins in common practice harmony. That is one reason it is relevant to study this musical language. Tritone subs, for example, are derived from Augmented 6th chords (which we haven't learned yet).
Q: What are the most common triads to get tonicized by a seondary dominant?
A: The most commonly used diatonic triads are the most common triads to get tonicized (V, ii, etc.)
Q: Why do we even care (in all seriousness) what a dominant-or any chord is within a given key's chord? Why are they handy?
A: First, we study these chords because they exist in the music that we play and we want to understand that music better. The only way you can make a meaningful interpretation of a piece--make informed musical decisions about how you should perform it,--is to understand it. Second, why did composers use these chords? They were looking for new and richer ways to express themselves. No one HAS to use secondary dominants to make music. No one HAS to use the color blue to paint a picture.
Q: Why can't you have V/viio?
A: Secondary dominants are borrowed chords. They are regular dominants borrowed from another key. There are no diminished keys with diminished tonics from which one could borrow a dominant for V/viio.
*** From Monday, 10 January ***
Q: You told us to resolve the 7th up since it was the leading tone, but last week you said it always resolves down. How can that be ????
A: In a I7 chord the 7th should resolve down, even though it is TI. In other chords (like V) TI should resolve up to DO.
Q: If you must alternate between 65 and 42 inversions, how do you get out of the sequence?
A: Resolve to a triad (instead of a 7th chord).
Q: I really like today's music. What is it?
A: Voix Bulgares: The Bulgarian State Women's Chorus (Nonesuch CD).
Q: Can all chords that would normally go to V or V7 go to I64 first?
A: Basically, yes. Because a cadential 64 functions as a dominant.
Q: Was Debussy one of the first to truly write music which constantly used 7ths in the chords?
A: Debussy was one of the first to treat 7ths as consonances, rather than as dissonant additions to triads. In Debussy, 7ths are approached and resolved freely, like any other member of the chord.
Q: Can 3rd inversion chords be used like 2nd inversion triads?
A: Exactly. 3rd inversion chords must be treated like linear chords (all tones approached and resolved stepwise) just like 64 chords.
Q: When do 7ths resolve up?
A: In common practice voiceleading, functional chord 7ths always resolve down. Linear 7ths could resolve up if they were part of a ascending passing tone figure. In other words, sometimes the use of NHTs creates notes which are, by coincidence, a 7th above the root, but are not truly part of the chord.
Q: When you wrote down the qualities of triads and 7th chords, why was augmented in parentheses?
A: Because there are no normal diatonic triads which are augmented.
Q: How common is the use of multiple 7th chords in a row?
A: It is not an unusal occurrence. It is most common with 5th related sequences.
Q: Are all examples of 7th chords equally common?
A: No. A general ranking (from most common to least) is: V7, ii7, viiż7, IV7, vi7, I7, iii7 (in Maj keys) and V7, iio7, viio7, iv7, VI7, I7, III7, VII7 (in minor keys)
Q: Can you double the 3rd in an incomplete 7th chord.
A: It can happen. The most common doubling is the root. Never double the 7th or TI.
Q: What style of music are we currently studying?
A: The language we are studying is known as common-practice harmony. It generally covers Western art music from Bach to Wagner, and is the basis for more recent tonal styles (like jazz and pop).
Q: Why do we learn about 7th chords?
A: One answer is that they were/are a part of the musical vocabulary used by composers. Why did they use 7th chords? To create a wider range of chord qualities to enable a greater range of musical expressiveness. Nobody HAS TO use 7th chords, just like nobody HAS TO use adverbs. Both make their respective languages more colorful however.
Q: Can you explain why III7 and VI7 are major minor in the minor keys?
A: No, because they are both major major 7th chords.
*** From Friday, 7 January 2000 ****
Q: Why is it normal to double the 3rd in a fully diminished chord?
A: You have things mixed up a little. A fully-diminished 7th chord normally has 4 tones, so nothing is doubled. The chord to which it resolves (I) will often have a doubled 3rd due to the natural resolution of the two tritones contained within the fully-dim 7th chord. (There is one tritone between the root and 5th, another between the 3rd and 7th).
Q: Do we need to memorize everything or just remember general rules and apply them.
A: The general principles of voiceleading which you have learned apply to all chords. Thus, you do not have to memorize the specific details of every chord combination.
Q: On pg. 47, both the fully-diminished and half-diminished 7th chords have the same construction so what is the difference?
A: There is a typo on that page. The pitches are notated correctly but the description underneath the diminished 7th chord is wrong: it should say "diminished 7th", not "minor 7th".
Q: Why does the III7 chord not have the 7th scale degree raised like V7 and viio7?
A: Because it is built on the major III triad (which does not use TI).
Q: Why does the viio7 chord create such a pull towards the dominant?
A: It doesn't. It creates a strong pull towards the tonic.
Q: Can you replace a V7 with a viio7?
A: In terms of there harmonic function, yes.
Q: Do seventh chords follow the same harmonic progressions as triads?
A: Yes.
Q: Do we meet with you or the GA for office hour assistance?
A: Either or both, depending on what you need. You Grad. Assistant is mostly responsible for homework assignments.
http://www.wmich.edu/mus-theo/courses/m161_FAQ.html Revised: 10 Jan 2000