Chord functions

In classical music, the functions

keys, since they principally

of chords are much the same for major and minor

reflect where the root of the chord is located in the scale

(rather than the chord type). Hence the technical

names for chord functions

(see the

chart below) also tell you the scale degrees the chords are built on. They are shown
with roman numerals:

Degree

Technical

Term

Function

TONIC

Tonal

centre

(most important

Point of maximum
II

SUPERTONIC

III

MEDIANT

IV

SUBDOMINANT

DOMINANT

VI

SUBMEDIANT

harmonic

for subdominant

chord

5th above submediant

Substitutes

for dominant

5th below

tonic

Main source of harmonic

5th above

chord
tension with dominant

tonic (second most important

Main source of harmonic

LEADING

resolution

5th above dominant

Substitutes

VII

chord)

chord)

tension with tonic

5 th above supertonic

The perfect 5th

Substitutes

The importance of the perfect 5th interval reflects

for tonic chord

its role in the acoustic origins of the major scale

5 th above mediant

TONE

itself. The ancient Greek mathematician

Rarely used chord

Pythagoras discovered that all notes in rhe scale

can be derived mathematically from successive

As with keys, the interval

of a 5th is crucial in determining

chords. The most important

chords are the primary

works like a magnet,

to become the centre of gravity.

trying

triads:

the relations

attraction:

back to 1. But IV establishes

a counter-weight

intervals of a perfect 5th, which can be reproduced

I, IV and V. Each chord

home chord, but V asserts itself as a rival centre of attraction

resolving

between

I is the strongest,

On

octave, produced by stopping the string in the

a 5th higher, eventually

to V by creating

middle, is based on a simpler ratio. Frequency

another

and subdominam

Just as V relates to I, so each of the secondary

as functionally
also function

as substitute

vibration of a string, but it also determines

as keys.)

intervals berween pitches. If a string remains at

triads, II, III and VI, can be heard

related to the chord a 5th lower. However,

the same tension, the ratio between frequencies

corresponds to the ratio between string lengths. If

in a major key they can

you halve the length of a string, you doubJe its

minor chords for the major chords two steps higher (the

frequency, creating the octave. To make a perfect

primary triads). (Compare the way the relative minor is derived from a major key.)
Because classical music tends to treat minor key harmony
the same principle

of substituting

applied in minor keys, even though

These functions

then determine

for the chord

5th, you reduce the string's length by a third.

as derived from major,

two steps higher

is sometimes

the chord types are quite different.

which chord

progressions

sound effective.

CHORD LAYOUT AND FINGERING

The basic layout for chords consists of three notes in the right hand and one in the
left ('the bass'). Since most chords are triads, one note of the triad appears in two
differem octaves: it gets doubled.
easiest thing

Usually this means the left hand note, because the

for the right hand is to playa

inversions.

(You'll see why if you try playing

important

is which

triad in close position,

Ex.6.5.

note lies at the top of the chord,

Compare

is

the term used by scientists to refer to the speed of

it is a 5th lower than I as well as a 4th above. (The same logic applies to

the relation between tonic, dominant

a stringed instrument by stopping or fretting

the string at ewe-thirds of its length. Only the

the

in one of its

it to Ex.6.4.)

More

since this may be heard as

forming part of a melody.

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