Tag Archives: secondary dominants

Is the augmented sixth chord just a tritone sub for V7/V?

Posted on July 31, 2018 by timchenette

Good question. (Don’t worry if you don’t know/remember what these chords are. We’ll get there.) In my experience, classically-trained music theorists prefer to consider the augmented 6th as separate from tritone substitutions while jazz musicians explain the augmented sixth chord … Continue reading →

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The Beatles’ chromatic trifecta

Posted on January 26, 2016 by timchenette

In teaching chromatic harmony, music theorists typically focus on three categories: “Secondary” or “applied” dominants and leading-tone chords Modal mixture or “borrowed” chords “Neapolitan” chords and augmented-sixth chords Of these, the first two categories are plentiful in virtually all styles of music, … Continue reading →

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Text Painting and Harmony: Tears in Heaven

Posted on April 11, 2015 by timchenette

Eric Clapton’s song Tears in Heaven is interesting on many levels. From a formal perspective, for example, what I and my students identify as “the chorus” doesn’t do the one thing that’s supposed to define a chorus: repeat both words … Continue reading →

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Descending Tetrachords: Muse and Handel are both sad

Posted on November 23, 2014 by timchenette

The term “descending tetrachord,” also “lament bass,” generally refers to a descent in a bass line by step from tonic to dominant, especially in a minor key. In its simplest form, the difference between the stable first and last pitches (do, sol) … Continue reading →

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Secondary Dominants in Rock and Pop

Posted on November 3, 2014 by timchenette

Here’s how you know Bruno Mars is sad. At about 1:04 (YouTube)/0:51 (Spotify) in the song below, he cycles through a standard IV V I progression a few times. At 1:20/1:09, he replaces the final I with a deceptive vi, followed … Continue reading →

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