Secondary Dominants
Any major or minor chord can be approached by its own temporary dominant or dominant 7th chord, which is called a “secondary dominant”. The most frequently seen secondary dominant is …
Chords (ABRSM Grade 8)
By the time you reach ABRSM Grade 8 Music Theory, the syllabus asks that you understand “all standard diatonic and chromatic chords“. You will need to be able to recognise …
Augmented 6th Chords
Augmented 6th Chords There are three chromatic chords which contain the interval of an augmented 6th; the Italian 6th, French 6th and German 6th, collectively known as the “augmented 6th …
Borrowed Chords and Parallel Keys
Parallel Keys Parallel keys are the major and minor using the same tonic, for example C major and C minor are parallel keys. Sometimes parallel keys use enharmonic equivalents, to …
Chromatic Chords
Chromatic Chords Diatonic chords are the ones which are built from the scale of the prevailing key. Chromatic chords use one or more notes which do not exist in the …
Extended Dominant Chords
Extended Dominants (V9, V11, V13) The dominant chord can be extended further than the usual addition of a 7th (V7). By continuing to add the note a third higher each …
The Modern Era
Modern music is defined by a general abandonment of the rules that were laid down in earlier times. Where Romantic music had irregular phrase lengths, modern music often goes one …
The Romantic Era
The Romantic era in music was (roughly) between the years 1830 to 1900. Some of the most famous composers of this era are: Robert Schumann, Edward Elgar, Frédéric Chopin, Felix …
The Classical Era
The Classical era in music was (roughly) between the years 1750 to 1830. Some of the most famous composers of this era are: W.A. Mozart, Franz Schubert, Joseph Haydn, Muzio …
The Baroque Era
The Baroque Era The Baroque era in music was (roughly) between the years 1600 to 1750. Some of the most famous composers of this era are: J.S. Bach, Henry Purcell …