Types of Six-Four Chords

Section 26.11 Types of Six-Four Chords

When you are harmonizing melodies and writing music, there are three situations where it is appropriate to use a

_{4}^{6}

chord.

The pedal

_{4}^{6}

typically occurs in the patterns I–IV

_{4}^{6}

–I or V–I

_{4}^{6}

–V.

The passing

_{4}^{6}

typically occurs in the patterns I–V

_{4}^{6}

–I

^{6}

(or its retrograde) and IV–I

_{4}^{6}

–IV

^{6}

(or its retrograde).

In an earlier section we discussed the Cadential

_{4}^{6}

chord. Please refer to that section to review the cadential

_{4}^{6}

chord.