8. Harmony by degree
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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.
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 |
Melodies by degree. In a melody line, a number is a degree of the key
the piece starts in: 1 is the tonic in octave 4, 8 an octave higher; an
accidental after the number leaves the scale (3b, 4#), and each comma
goes an octave down (5,, 1,,). The degrees follow the major or the
natural minor scale.
key: A minor
melody = | 1 3 5 7b | 8 _ 5, _ |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).
key: A minor
chords = | i | iv | VI | V7 |