Harmony

Question 1

What is a bell chord?

Answer 1

A chord that is played with separate held on /sustained descending notes one after the other

Question 2

What is a cluster chord?

Answer 2

A dissonant chord that includes several adjacent notes only one step apart from each other

Question 3

What is an extended chord?

Answer 3

Chords in which notes are added a 3rd above the 7th of the chord, to create 9th, 11th, and 13th etc intervals about the root of the chord.

Often used in jazz to create rich harmonies

Question 4

What is a cadence?

Answer 4

The end of a musical phrase, characterised by harmonising with two chords.

Question 5

Name four types of cadence

Answer 5

Perfect, Imperfect, Interrupted and Plagal

Question 6

What is a perfect cadence?

Answer 6

Using chord V (five) or V7 (five-seven) followed by chord I (one) at the end of a phrase.

Perfect cadences sound finished.

Question 7

What is a plagal cadence?

Answer 7

A cadence beginning with chord IV (four) and ending on chord I (one).

Like a perfect cadence, it also sounds finished due to ending on the tonic chord, but as the tonic (home) note is used in both chords (typically in the melody/at the top) it sounds different to a perfect cadence

Often used to end Hymns, sometimes accompanying the words “A-men”, it is also referred to as the “A-men cadence”.

Question 8

What is an interrupted cadence?

Answer 8

A cadence beginning with chord V (five) and ending on chord VI (six).

It gets its name because it “interrupts” what is expected to be a perfect cadence. This often comes as a surprise, being at the end of piece/phase, and so the progression is called a Surprise Cadence in the US.

Chord VI is also minor, so the cadence goes from major (V, the dominant, is always a major chord) to minor - another surprising feeling

Question 9

What is an imperfect cadence?

Answer 9

A cadence beginning with almost any chord (but usually I, II and IV) and ending on chord V.

Imperfect cadences sound unfinished, telling the listener there is more to come.

Question 10

What is a root position chord/triad?

Answer 10

A chord where the first note of the chord is placed lowest.

For example, in a C Chord, C is placed at the bottom with E and G above it.

Also known as the home chord.

Question 11

What is a chromatic chord?

Answer 11

A chord used that does not belong to the key

Question 12

What is a diminished 7th chord?

Answer 12

A chromatic chord made up of all minor 3rd intervals, or notes 3 semitones apart.

For example E-G-Bb-Db

The effect adds drama to a piece

Question 13

What is a chord sequence?

Answer 13

A repeating pattern of chords

Question 14

What is a pedal note?

Answer 14

A note that is held or repeated against changing harmonies.

The tonic or dominant of the key is often used as the pedal, and it is frequently in the bass.

When not in the bass, it is call an “inverted pedal” (higher) or “inner pedal” (when in the middle of the music texture).

Question 15

What is a suspension?

Answer 15

A suspension happens when a note from one chord is held or repeated over to a chord that the note doesn’t belong to.

The result is a brief dissonance that is resolved (ends) when the note moves to a chord note.

See also “sus chord”

Question 16

What is a false relation?

Answer 16

Where two forms of the same pitch (eg G and G#) sound at the same time or very close to each other in different parts.

Question 17

What is a harmonic sequence?

Answer 17

When a chord sequence is immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch

Question 18

What is a “circle of 5ths” chord progression?

Answer 18

A series of chords whose rote note are each a 5th lower (or 4th higher) than the previous chord

eg E-A-D-G-C

In practice, the bass usually alternates between falling a 5th and rising a 4th, as this stops line becoming too low!

Question 19

What is quartal harmony?

Answer 19

Chords are normally based on the interval of a 3rd. Quartal harmony is whether the chords are made up of 4ths.

Question 20

What is static harmony?

Answer 20

When the harmony remains a single chord for a long period of time

Question 21

What is a Tierce de Picardie?

Answer 21

A feature of 17th Century harmony.

Where a major tonic chord (chord I (one)) appears at the end of a cadence in a minor key.

This adds an unexpected (positive) lift to the music

As an example, a piece in A minor would end with an A major chord.

Question 22

What is a sus chord?

Answer 22

Usually, a chord uses the root, 3rd and 5th of a scale.

A sus chord uses the 2nd and 4th instead of the 3rd. This creates a suspension which sounds like a dissonance.

Question 23

What’s a 1st inversion chord?

Answer 23

A chord where the 3rd of the chord is placed lowest.

eg a C chord, the E would be at the bottom with the G and C above it.

Question 24

What is an augmented chord?

Answer 24

Where the 5th of the chord is raised by a semitone.

This makes both intervals of the triad (ie between root and 3rd & 3rd and 5th) major thirds.

In other words, the chord is stretched by a semitone. The “5th” interval is augmented (an “augmented 5th”)

Question 25

What is a half-diminished chord?

Answer 25

Where the 5th of the chord is flattened by a semitone.

This makes both intervals of the triad (ie between root and 3rd & 3rd and 5th) minor thirds.

In other words, the chord is shrunk by a semitone. The “5th” interval is diminished (a “diminished 5th”)

Question 26

What is a chord?

Answer 26

The simultaneous sounding of two or more pitches.

This harmony may be pleasant or unpleasant, but the interaction of the two or pitches will still make a chord and it will still be harmony.

Question 27

What is meant by the term harmonic rhythm?

Answer 27

How often the chords change

eg once/twice per bar

Question 28

What is a dissonance?

Answer 28

Music where the notes played together clash.

See also suspension and sus chords

Question 29

What is a triad?

Answer 29

A simple chord made up of a bass note (root) and the 3rd and 5th above it.

Question 30

What does modal mean?

Answer 30

A scale of 7 pitches.

Major and minor scales are types of mode.

But the term is usually used to describe other modes, like Aeolian mode

Question 31

What is the Aeolian mode?

Answer 31

It is a minor scale, similar to the harmonic minor, but the 7th of the scale is as per the key signature (not sharpened by a semitone like in teh harmonic minor scale).

So, in A minor, the harmonic would be

A-B-C-D-E-F-G#-A

So Aeolian scale, starting on A is

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A

It is also know as the “natural minor” scale

Question 32

What is a drone?

Answer 32

A long continuously held note, usually in the bass.

It is similar to a pedal note, but the term drone is preferred in folk music.