Cadence
A chord sequence that completes a musical phrase
Chromatic
Literally meaning colourful (from ancient greek), describes harmony that makes use of notes outside the key of the music
Circle of Fifths Progression
A progression in which each chord is related to the following one either by an ascending 4th or a descending 5th. It is a useful device to modulate to a seemingly unrelated key
Consonance
A consonant interval is one which sounds pleasant to the ear and is in agreement with the current harmony
Diatonic Harmony
A harmony that makes use of chords and notes that fit into the key of the piece (opposite of chromatic)
Diatonic Scale
What we think of as the classical scale, i.e major or minor
Diminished 7th
A chord made up of four notes in which each interval is a minor 3rd
Dissonance
A clashing or discordant sound created when a note is played that does not fit with the underlying harmony
Dominant
The 5th degree of the diatonic scale
Dominant 7th
A dominant chord with and added minor 7th above the bass, often used at cadences
Functional Harmony
A harmony that is based on logical chord progressions and is directed towards cadence points which solidify the tonality
Imperfect Cadence
A cadence that ends on chord V. It sounds incomplete
Interrupted cadence
A cadence in which chord V leads to a chord other that I, this would often be chord VI
Inverted pedal
A pedal note played in the top part of a texture rather than the bottom
Inner Pedal
A pedal note played in the middle part of the texture
Local colour
Where dissonance is used to add momentary interest to the harmony, rather than for any large-scale structural reason
Modality
The system that came before tonality, whereby music was based around modal scales rather than diatonic ones
Modulation
The means by which music transitions from. one key to another
Pedal
A note that is sustained throughout a passage in spite of the changing harmony
Perfect Cadence
A cadence which ends with the chord progression V-I, sounds the most complete
Preparation
Where the dissonant note of a chord is played by the same instrumental part in the previous chord
Primary Chords
Chord I, IV and V, which together include all the notes of the tonic scale
Relative minor/major
Two keys that share the same key signature are known as “relative”. The relative major is situated a minor 3rd above the minor
Resolution
Where a dissonant suspended note falls or rises a step to become consonant
