Loading [MathJax]/extensions/TeX/boldsymbol.js
Skip to main content

Section 9.5 Embellishing Harmonies

Some chords do not have harmonic function. They act as passing or neighboring harmonies to embellish tonic, dominant, and sometimes pre-dominant function.

Here is an example with a passing harmony.

Figure 9.5.1 Passing harmony embellishing tonic function

In this case, the \left.\text{vii}^{\circ}{}\middle/\text{3rd}\right. chord is a passing chord rather than a chord with dominant function. (Remember that the \left.\text{I}\middle/\text{5th}\right. chord has dominant function.)