8. Harmony by degree
▶ Open in Aratu to hear and change the examples
Chords by degree. In Roman numerals, from the key at the start of the
piece (C major when there is no key:): upper case is major, lower case
minor, and the quality follows. bVII borrows from outside the key and
V7/V is the dominant of the dominant. With :arp the chord is rolled,
from its lowest note up; in a melody, c4+e4+g4:arp.
Try it
key: C major
chords = | I | vi | ii7 | V7:arp || Write | Means |
|---|---|
I … VII |
the degree, a major chord |
i … vii |
the degree, a minor chord |
V7, ii7, IVmaj7, vii° |
after the degree, the rest of the chord symbol |
bVII, #iv° |
a chord from outside the key, a semitone below or above the degree |
V7/V, V7/ii |
the dominant of the degree after the slash |
I:arp |
the chord rolled |
In a minor key the degrees follow the natural minor scale: in
key: A minor, i is Am, iv is Dm, VI is F, and the dominant with
the leading tone is written V7 (E7).
Try it
key: A minor
chords = | i | iv | VI | V7 |