Music Transcription Harmonic Progression Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When transcribing a blues progression, the I7, IV7, and V7 chords are all dominant 7ths. What does this suggest about the tonality?
- It is in Dorian mode
- It uses a major key with borrowed chords
- It is in a mixolydian-inflected blues tonality (Correct answer)
- It is purely in the natural minor scale
Correct answer: It is in a mixolydian-inflected blues tonality
Blues tonality uses all dominant 7th chords on I, IV, and V, reflecting a mixolydian and blues scale inflection rather than strict major or minor.
Question 2: A chord progression with the figured bass symbols 6/4 indicates which inversion?
- Root position
- First inversion
- Second inversion (Correct answer)
- Third inversion
Correct answer: Second inversion
Figured bass 6/4 indicates second inversion, where the fifth of the chord is in the bass.
Question 3: Which term describes a chord borrowed from the parallel minor key used within a major key progression?
- Secondary dominant
- Mode mixture (Correct answer)
- Enharmonic modulation
- Retrograde harmony
Correct answer: Mode mixture
Mode mixture (modal borrowing) refers to using chords from the parallel minor within a major key context.
Question 4: In a progression I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V, what is the most common name for this pattern?
- Pachelbel's Canon progression (Correct answer)
- 12-bar blues
- Andalusian cadence
- Rhythm changes
Correct answer: Pachelbel's Canon progression
The I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V pattern is famously associated with Pachelbel's Canon and widely used in pop music.
Question 5: When analyzing a half-diminished chord (ø7), which intervals make up its construction?
- Minor 3rd, minor 3rd, minor 3rd
- Minor 3rd, minor 3rd, major 3rd (Correct answer)
- Major 3rd, minor 3rd, minor 3rd
- Minor 3rd, major 3rd, minor 3rd
Correct answer: Minor 3rd, minor 3rd, major 3rd
A half-diminished 7th chord (ø7) is built with a minor 3rd, another minor 3rd, and a major 3rd from bottom to top.
Question 6: What harmonic function does a pedal point serve in a progression?
- It accelerates harmonic rhythm
- It sustains one pitch (usually tonic or dominant) while harmonies change above it (Correct answer)
- It transposes the entire progression up a step
- It eliminates dissonance from the texture
Correct answer: It sustains one pitch (usually tonic or dominant) while harmonies change above it
A pedal point holds a single sustained note (most commonly tonic or dominant) while the upper harmonies move independently.
Question 7: In Roman numeral analysis, how is a secondary dominant to the IV chord written?
- V/IV (Correct answer)
- IV/V
- II/IV
- V/ii
Correct answer: V/IV
A secondary dominant to IV is written V/IV, meaning the dominant of the IV chord — it's a major chord a fifth above IV.
Music Transcription Harmonic Progression Analysis 3
When transcribing a blues progression, the I7, IV7, and V7 chords are all dominant 7ths.
What does this suggest about the tonality?