Chord v (Minor Dominant)
Although in minor keys we usually use the notes from the harmonic minor scale to build the dominant chord, it’s also possible to build a different kind of dominant chord, …
Chord II7 (Supertonic 7th)
Chord ii7 is also known as the supertonic 7th chord. It’s built from the supertonic triad, plus another third added on top: the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 1st notes of …
Chord VII – The Leading Note
Chord vii° (Diminished) The chord built up from the 7th degree of the scale, or leading note, is called the leading note triad, or chord vii° (“seven diminished”). The leading …
Chord III – The Mediant
Chord III (Major Mediant) The mediant triad built from the melodic minor scale is a major chord, because the interval between the root and 5th is a perfect 5th. This …
Chord VI – The Submediant
Chord VI – Submediant The chord built up from the 6th degree of the scale, or submediant note, is called the submediant triad; chord VI or vi. The submediant triad …
Chord V7 – The Dominant 7th
Chord V7 – Dominant 7th The dominant chord (V) was introduced at grade 5. Chord V7 is also known as the “dominant 7th” chord. It is built from the dominant …
Cadences (ABRSM Grade 5)
Cadences “Chord progression” means “series of chords which follow each other”. For example, I-IV-V-I is a chord progression. A cadence is a combination of specific chords which tells the listener …
Chord Inversions
Chord Inversions The simplest way to write a chord is as a triad. A triad is a three-note chord. A chord written like this has its notes as close together …
Chord II – The Supertonic
You should already be familiar with the tonic, dominant and subdominant chords/triads. If not, please see Triads and Chords before reading this lesson! The chord built up from the 2nd …
Triads and Chords
We have already learnt about tonic triads – how we can build a simple three-note chord based on the tonic of the key. For example, the tonic triad in the key …