How Harmony Works pt 1

Harmonic Function

Describes the role a chord plays in relation to a tonal center or key; the pattern in which harmony is being used/ what it is doing

Tonic Function

Name of the first scale degree and where the music starts/ where it is going; “home base”

Dominant Function

Seen in times of tension and contains V and Vii0 Chord; share leading tone and supertonic

pre-dominant function

Chord built over the 4th scale degree; Dominant of the dominant chords

Prolongation Progressions

Technique that extends a single harmony or key center over time, keeping music sounding as stable as notes change; sustain in time an individual harmony

Pedal Point

Prolongation technique where a sustained note is played under changing harmonies (usually root of chord)

Neighboring Chords

prolongation technique where you move from one harmony to another, but stay in the same inversion

Passing Chords

Prolongation Technique where you start on one inversion of a chord, and end on another

Substitute Chords

Prolongation technique where a chord is replaced with a different one that shares a similar harmonic function

Limited macroharmony

Music remains within specific tonalities in order to allow the listener to grasp what is going on

Cadential Progression

Sequence of chords that creates a sense of musical closure or ending; confirms a new tonal center

Deceptive Cadence

Musical progression where a chord built on the fifth (V) resolves to an unexpected chord instead of tonic; ends on tonic substitution

Complete Cadential Progression

Standard Series of chords used to create a strong satisfying ending to a musical phrase

Tonic → Pre-dominant → Dominant → Tonic

Authentic Cadential Progression

Fundamental, tension resolving chord that leads to a strong sense of completion; focuses on the resolution directly from the dominant to the tonic

Perfect Authentic Cadence

Strongest most conclusive chord progression in theory; 3 requirements to make it this

Half Cadence

Phrase ending on the dominant (V) chord, creating a sense of strong unresolved tension

Sequential Progressions

Compositional technique that expands melody/ motif by repeating It in the same voice, but at a ligher or lower pitch level - destabilizes a key instead of prolonging or confirming it (six different types)

Functional Harmony

System of theory where chords within a key are categorized by their specific “role” or “behavior”, creating a predictable cycle of tension and resolution

Tonic

Beginning or end (I, vi)

Pre-dominant

Middle (IV, ii)

Dominant

Just before the end (vii^o , V)

Thirds

Foundations of functional harmony can be summed up with common tones or downward root absorption by _______