Review of Concepts
34 Ear Training – Chords Review
Triads in Review (All Inversions)
Review the principles of identifying and notating triads. To further reinforce the concepts, sing them and practice them on the piano too.
- The major triad is composed of a stacked major third plus minor third. The two commonest ways it appears in diatonic harmony are as chord I in a major key (do-mi-sol), and chord V (sol-ti-re) in major AND minor keys. It’s also very common for it to appear as chord IV in major keys (fa-la-do).
- The minor triad is composed of a stacked minor third plus major third. It also occurs within the diatonic scale. In minor keys, it appears most commonly as chord i (do-me-sol). In major keys, it appears commonly as chord ii (re-fa-la)and as chord vi (la-do-mi).
- The diminished triad is composed of two stacked minor thirds. It functions as chord vii0 in both major and minor keys, as well as chord ii0 in minor keys. In this class, we will always spell this chord ti-re-fa when we are singing it outside of a specific melodic or harmonic context. Don’t attempt to relate the diminished triad to do by spelling it do-me-se, as there is no context for this in diatonic music. Not all chords relate to do!
- The augmented triad is composed of two stacked major thirds. It is relatively rare in diatonic harmony. It doesn’t naturally occur within the tones of the diatonic major scale, and sounds very chromatic. For this reason, many learners find it hard to sing. When it does occur, it is usually spelled sol-ti-ri and appears as a chromatic variant of the dominant (sol-ti-re). For this reason, don’t attempt to relate it to do by singing do-mi-si, as there is no context for this in diatonic music. It’s much easier to sing if you relate it to sol-ti-re, adjusting the top pitch so that you progress to sol-ti-ri.
Play all triads and their inversions on the piano in a variety of keys. In addition, practice singing this triads workout in a variety of keys.
Seventh Chords in Review (All Inversions)
Review the following tables on the properties of seventh chords in root position and all the inversions (first, second, and third). Please refer to previous chapters for piano and singing practice excerpts.
| Chord Name | double diminished (fully diminished) 7 | half diminished 7 (diminished minor) | minor-minor 7 | major-minor 7 | major-major 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | dd 7 | dm 7 | mm 7 | Mm 7 | MM 7 |
| Intervallic Structure of the Chord | diminished triad + major third OR three stacked major 3rds | diminished triad + major 3rd | minor triad + minor 3rd | major triad + minor 3rd | major triad + major 3rd |
| Common Harmonic Function | vii07 in minor keys | iiØ7 in minor keys OR viiØ7 in major keys | ii7 OR vi7 in major keys | V7 in major AND minor keys | rare in classical music; commoner in jazz and pop |
| Solfege | ti re fa le | re fa le do OR ti re fa la | re fa la do OR la do mi sol | sol ti re fa | do mi sol ti |
| Chord | dd 6/5 | dm 6/5 | mm 6/5 | Mm 6/5 | MM 6/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triad + Interval | diminished triad + augmented 2nd | minor triad + major 2nd | major triad + major 2nd | diminished triad + major 2nd | minor triad + minor 2nd |
| Common Harmonic Function | vii0 6/5 in minor keys | iiø 6/5 in minor keys OR viiø 6/5 in major keys | ii 6/5 OR vi 6/5 in major keys | V7 in major AND minor keys | rare in classical music, but can be I 6/5 in major keys in jazz |
| Solfege | re fa le ti | fa le do re OR re fa la ti | fa la do re OR do mi sol la | ti re fa sol | mi sol ti do |
| Chord | dd 4/3 | dm 4/3 | mm 4/3 | Mm 4/3 | MM 4/3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| intervallic relation | m3 + A2 + m3 | M3 + M2 + m3 | m3 + M2 + m3 | m3 + M2 + M3 | M3 + m2 + M3 | |
| function and solfege | vii0 4/3 in minor – fa le ti re | ii⌀4/3 in minor keys, le do re fa; vii⌀4/3 in a major key, fa la ti re. | ii4/3 in a major key, la do re fa; vi4/3 in a major key, mi sol la do. | Chord V4/3 in major and minor keys: re fa sol ti | sol ti do mi | |
| salient features | This chord may appear as dd 4/3 in scores. Outside of context, you may identify all dd chords as root position. | Symmetrical | Symmetrical | Only one of the 4/3 chords to feature a minor 2nd between its middle two pitches. |
| Chord | dd 4/2 | dm 4/2 | mm 4/2 | Mm 4/2 | MM 4/2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| intervallic and chordal relation | A2 + diminished triad | M2 + diminished triad | M2 + minor triad | M2 + major triad | m2 + major triad |
| function and solfege | vii0 4/2 in minor – le ti re fa | vii⌀4/2 in major keys, la ti re fa; ii⌀4/2 in minor keys, do re fa le | ii4/2 in major keys, do re fa la; vi4/2 in major keys, sol la do mi | V 4/2 in major and minor keys: fa sol ti re | IM4/2 in major keys: ti do mi sol |
| salient features | This chord may appear as dd 4/2 in scores. Outside of context, you may identify all dd chords as root position. | Apart from dd 4/2, the only 4/2 chord with a diminished triad. | The only 4/2 chord with a minor triad. | Strong dominant function = could resolve to I6. | The only 4/2 chord with a minor second. |
Piano Practice Review
As always, regularly play chords and their inversions on the piano to internalize how they look on the printed page, how they sound, and how they feel under your hand when you play them.
