Understanding Basic Music Theory - Catherine Schmidt-Jones [67]
Exercise 5.4.5. (Go to Solution)
On a treble clef staff, write the chords named. You can print this PDF file if you need staff paper for this exercise.
D (dominant) seventh with a flat nine
A minor seventh with a flat five
G minor with a sharp seven
B flat (dominant) seventh with a sharp nine
F nine sharp eleven
Solutions to Exercises
Solution to Exercise 5.4.1. (Return to Exercise)
Figure 5.39.
Solution to Exercise 5.4.2. (Return to Exercise)
Figure 5.40.
Solution to Exercise 5.4.3. (Return to Exercise)
Figure 5.41.
Solution to Exercise 5.4.4. (Return to Exercise)
You can check your work by
listening to the chords to see if they sound correct
playing your chords for your teacher or other trained musician
checking your answers using a chord manual or chord diagrams
Solution to Exercise 5.4.5. (Return to Exercise)
Notice that a half-diminished seventh can be (and sometimes is) written as it is here, as a minor seventh with flat five.
Figure 5.42.
5.5. Beginning Harmonic Analysis*
Note
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Introduction
It sounds like a very technical idea, but basic harmonic analysis just means understanding how a chord is related to the key and to the other chords in a piece of music. This can be such useful information that you will find many musicians who have not studied much music theory, and even some who don't read music, but who can tell you what the I ("one") or the V ("five") chord are in a certain key.
Why is it useful to know how chords are related?
Many standard forms (for example, a "twelve bar blues") follow very specific chord progressions, which are often discussed in terms of harmonic relationships.
If you understand chord relationships, you can transpose any chord progression you know to any key you like.
If you are searching for chords to go with a particular melody (in a particular key), it is very helpful to know what chords are most likely in that key, and how they might be likely to progress from one to another.
Improvisation requires an understanding of the chord progression.
Harmonic analysis is also necessary for anyone who wants to be able to compose reasonable chord progressions or to study and understand the music of the great composers.
Basic Triads in Major Keys
Any chord might show up in any key, but some chords are much more likely than others. The most likely chords to show up in a key are the chords that use only the notes in that key (no accidentals). So these chords have both names and numbers that tell how they fit into the key. (We'll just discuss basic triads for the moment, not seventh chords or other added-note or altered chords.) The chords are numbered using Roman numerals from I to vii.
Figure 5.43. Chords in the keys of C major and D major
To find all the basic chords in a key, build a simple triad (in the key) on each note of the scale. You'll find that although the chords change from one key to the next, the pattern of major and minor chords is always the same.
Exercise 5.5.1. (Go to Solution)
Write and name the chords in G major and in B flat major. (Hint: Determine the key signature first. Make certain that each chord begins on a note in the major scale and contains only notes in the key signature.) If you need some staff paper, you can print this PDF file
You can find all the basic triads that are possible in a key by building one triad, in the key, on each note of the scale (each scale degree). One easy way to name all these chords is just to number them: the chord that starts on the first note of the scale is "I", the chord that starts on the next scale degree is "ii", and so on. Roman numerals are used to number the chords. Capital Roman numerals are used for major chords and small