AP Music Theory
Unit 5: Harmony and Voice Leading II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function
8 topics to cover in this unit
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Predominant Chords: ii and IV
Alright, music explorers, let's dive into the 'predominant' function! These are the chords that act like a harmonic runway, setting up the dominant chord for a grand landing. We'll start with the foundational root position supertonic (ii) and subdominant (IV) chords in major keys, understanding their sound and how they prepare the dominant.
- Confusing predominant chords with tonic or dominant chords, especially when identifying by ear.
- Not recognizing the scale degrees that form these chords.
Predominant Chords: ii6 and IV6
Now let's get fancy with inversions! We're taking those ii and IV chords and flipping them into their first inversion (ii6 and IV6). These inversions are super common because they allow for incredibly smooth voice leading, making our harmonic progressions flow like a well-oiled machine. It's all about making those lines sing!
- Incorrectly labeling inversions (e.g., calling ii6 a ii chord)
- Creating parallel octaves or fifths when part-writing with inverted chords due to poor voice leading.
Predominant Chords: ii6/5 and IV6/5
Hold onto your hats, because we're adding a seventh! The supertonic seventh (ii7) and subdominant seventh (IV7) chords, particularly in their first inversion (ii6/5 and IV6/5), bring a new level of richness and drive to the predominant function. We'll learn how these chords resolve and how their 'seventh' adds a delicious tension that propels the music forward.
- Forgetting to resolve the seventh of the chord down by step
- Misidentifying the quality of the seventh chord (e.g., major-minor vs. half-diminished).
Predominant Chords in Minor
Minor keys are where things get spicy! We'll explore how predominant chords like ii and IV function in minor. This means grappling with the different forms of the minor scale (natural, harmonic, melodic) and how they influence the quality of our supertonic (often half-diminished iiø) and subdominant (minor iv or major IV) chords. It's all about context and those crucial scale alterations!
- Confusing the different forms of minor when constructing chords
- Incorrectly identifying the quality of the ii or IV chord in minor (especially iiø).
Voice Leading with Predominant Chords
This is where the rubber meets the road! We're bringing all our voice leading knowledge to bear on predominant chords. We'll refine our skills in connecting ii and IV chords to other harmonies, ensuring smooth lines, avoiding those pesky parallel octaves and fifths, and doubling correctly. Good voice leading makes the music sing, bad voice leading makes it sound like a train wreck!
- Ignoring voice leading rules entirely, leading to many errors
- Creating parallel octaves or fifths, especially when moving into or out of inversions
- Incorrect doubling, particularly in seventh chords.
Chord Progressions: Predominant to Dominant
This is the bread and butter of functional harmony! We're zeroing in on the most common and powerful progression: Predominant to Dominant. Think I-IV-V-I or I-ii-V-I. Understanding how ii and IV chords *effectively* lead to V or V7 is key to building strong, satisfying harmonic phrases that drive towards a cadence. It's like the harmonic equivalent of building tension before a big reveal!
- Jumping directly from predominant to tonic when a dominant is expected for a strong cadence
- Poor voice leading in the P-D connection, weakening the progression.
Chord Progressions: Predominant to Tonic
While Predominant to Dominant is the main event, sometimes a predominant chord takes a direct route to the tonic! The most famous example is the plagal cadence (IV-I), often called the 'Amen' cadence. We'll explore these less common, but musically significant, direct P-T movements and understand their unique expressive qualities. It's a different flavor of resolution!
- Overusing IV-I as a strong cadential progression when V-I is functionally stronger
- Not understanding the difference in strength and character between plagal and authentic cadences.
Predominant Function in Context
Alright, let's put it all together! This is where we apply everything we've learned about predominant function to real musical examples. We'll analyze excerpts, identifying ii and IV chords in all their inversions and various keys, and truly understand their role in shaping musical phrases and driving the harmonic narrative. This is where you become a harmonic detective!
- Analyzing chords in isolation without considering the larger harmonic flow
- Failing to see the overall harmonic context of a phrase, leading to misinterpretations of function.
- Struggling to identify predominant chords in complex or varied musical textures.
Key Terms
Key Concepts
- Chords have specific functions in a progression (Tonic, Predominant, Dominant)
- Predominant chords prepare the dominant
- Diatonic harmony forms the basis of common practice progressions
- Inversions enhance voice leading smoothness and melodic contour
- Common practice voice leading rules apply to inverted chords
- Predominant inversions effectively prepare the dominant
- Seventh chords add tension and require specific resolutions for the seventh
- Predominant seventh chords intensify the drive to the dominant
- Voice leading with seventh chords demands careful attention to tendencies
- Scale degree alterations in minor keys affect chord qualities
- The half-diminished supertonic (iiø) is characteristic of minor keys
- Both minor iv and major IV are used as predominant chords in minor
- Smooth voice leading enhances musicality and avoids errors
- Specific voice leading rules apply to predominant chord connections
- Careful attention to melodic contour and interval relationships is crucial
- The P-D progression is a fundamental building block of Western harmony
- Predominant chords prepare the dominant for a strong cadential arrival
- Common progressions follow predictable patterns of functional harmony
- Some predominant chords can move directly to the tonic for specific effects
- The plagal cadence (IV-I) provides a gentler, less conclusive resolution than an authentic cadence
- Understanding exceptions to typical functional harmony enriches analysis
- Holistic analysis involves understanding individual chords within larger harmonic contexts
- Predominant function is a key element in defining musical phrases and cadences
- Identifying predominant chords in real music requires recognizing various voicings and inversions
Cross-Unit Connections
- Unit 1: Music Fundamentals - Understanding scales, intervals, triads, and seventh chords is absolutely foundational for identifying and building predominant chords.
- Unit 2: Rhythm and Meter - Harmonic rhythm (how often chords change) impacts the perception and drive of predominant-dominant progressions.
- Unit 3: Melody - Good voice leading relies heavily on understanding melodic contour and tendencies within individual voices, which is essential when part-writing predominant chords.
- Unit 4: Harmony and Voice Leading I - This unit is a direct expansion! Unit 4 introduced tonic and dominant function, root position and first inversion chords, and basic voice leading. Unit 5 builds on that by adding the crucial predominant function and more complex chord types (sevenths).
- Unit 6: Secondary Dominants and Leading-Tone Chords - A solid grasp of predominant function is critical for understanding secondary dominants, which often follow predominant chords to tonicize new harmonies temporarily.
- Unit 7: Modulation - Predominant chords play a vital role in preparing for modulations to new keys, acting as a bridge to the new dominant.
- Unit 8: Form and Analysis - Harmonic progressions, especially the P-D-T sequence, are the backbone of musical phrases and cadences, which are the building blocks of musical form. Understanding predominant function helps delineate these formal structures.