The harmony glossary: the words, with examples.

The words, from A to Z

Borrowed chord

A chord taken from another key, often the key with the same name in the opposite mode. F minor in C major is borrowed from C minor: it brings a darker colour for one chord.

Cadence

A chord sequence that ends a phrase, like punctuation. G then C is the so-called perfect cadence. See the four main cadences.

Chord

Several notes played together. The C major chord is made of C, E and G.

Chord progression

A sequence of chords, often repeated. C – G – A minor – F is a very common example.

Degree

The place of a note or chord in the scale. In C major: C is I, D is II, E is III, F is IV, G is V, A is VI, B is VII.

Dominant

The chord built on the fifth degree (G, in C major). It creates tension and pushes towards the tonic.

Fifth

The interval of five notes, counting the first: C – D – E – F – G. The circle of fifths moves from fifth to fifth. See the circle of fifths.

Interval

The distance between two notes. From C to G is a fifth; from C to E, a third.

Inversion

A chord whose lowest note is not its root. C – E – G played with E at the bottom (E – G – C) is the first inversion of C major.

Key

A scale together with its note of rest. “In C major” means: with the notes of the C scale, and C as the point of rest.

Key signature

The sharps or flats written at the start of the score, which show the key. C major has none; G major has one sharp (F♯).

Leading note

The seventh degree of the scale, a semitone below the tonic: B in C major. It wants to rise to C.

Mode

A scale defined by its own tonal centre and by the way its intervals are organised from that centre. The notes of C major played from D to D give D Dorian: the same notes, but the centre is D and the pattern of tones and semitones around it is different, hence another colour.

Modulation

Moving from one key to another during a piece. A piece that starts in C major and then settles in G major has modulated.

Relative

The minor key and the major key that use the same notes. A minor is the relative of C major: same notes, but the point of rest is A instead of C.

Roman numerals

A way of writing chords by their degree in the key (I, ii, IV, V…), in capitals for major chords and lower case for minor ones. C – G – A minor – F is written I – V – vi – IV, and the same sequence can be played in any key.

Scale

A series of notes that rises or falls by degrees. The C major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B.

Seventh chord

A chord with a fourth note added, a seventh above the root. G 7 is made of G, B, D and F.

Subdominant

The chord built on the fourth degree (F, in C major). It is a harmonic function: it generally moves away from the tonic, but its effect depends on the context and on what surrounds it.

Tension and resolution

A tension is a pull towards another chord; the resolution is the arrival. G (tension) to C (resolution) is the simplest example.

Tonic

The note, or chord, of rest in a key: the first degree. In C major, it is C.

Triad

A chord of three notes stacked in thirds. C – E – G is a major triad; A – C – E, a minor triad.