1. Harmony
Building Chords &
Chord Functions

2. The Major Scale
• Series of whole and half steps
• (major and minor seconds)

3. Major 3rd
2 whole steps OR
2 major seconds
major 2nd + major 2nd = major 3rd

4. Minor 3rd
1 whole step + 1 half step OR
1 major 2nd + 1 minor 2nd
minor 2nd + major 2nd = minor 3rd

5. Major Chords
Major 3rd in the lower half of the chord
Minor 3rd in the top half of the chord
+ =
major 3rd minor 3rd major chord

6. Minor Chords
Minor 3rd in the lower half of the chord
Major 3rd in the top half of the chord
+ =
minor 3rd major 3rd minor chord

7. Tonic
• Begins on Do
• Give the strongest sound of the key
• Contains Do Mi or Mi Sol

8. The I Chord contains Do Mi and So
Tonic
I Major

9. The iii chord contains Mi and Sol
& is less stable
Mediant Chord
iii minor

10. The vi chord starts on La and has Do and Mi
stronger than iii
Submediant chord
vi minor

11. Subdominant
• Important for keeping cadences going
• Contain Fa and La

12. The IV chord contains Fa and La
Subdominant
IV Major

13. The ii chord starts on Re and contains Fa and La
substitution for IV Chord
Supertonic
ii minor

14. Dominant
• Contains the leading tone Ti
• Resolves to the tonic
• When it is a dom 7th chord it has Fa
• Fa and Ti is the tri tone resolves to Mi and Do

15. The V chord is the Dominant Chord
Important for cadences
OR
V V7
Dominant Dominant 7th