Augmented Sixth Chords | Theory Things William Wieland |
2 pitches (the A6) resolve to the dominant by ½ step. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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All augmented sixth chords also include tonic. | ||||||||
Italian Sixth Chord |
— only 3 notes (A6 + tonic) — since it does not have 4 notes it has a hole, like macaroni |
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Beethoven Bagatelle no. 1 (on this page) | |||||
German Sixth Chord * |
— 4 notes (A6 + major triad) — reliable, like a dominant 7th (enharmonically equivalent) — the cadential 6/4 avoids parallel fifths. |
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Joplin The Chrysanthemum (on page 1) | |||||
French Sixth Chord |
— 4 notes (A6 + two M3) — mysterious, like tritones and the whole tone scale |
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Joplin The Cascades (top of p. 4) |
Chromaticism — EVERY part on this page either moves by half step or remains on the same tone! |
Note — Augmented sixth chords may trick you. We identify chords by stacking pitches in thirds, line-line-line or space-space-space, i.e. every other letter. However, F#-Ab-C-Eb is not a common seventh chord. How can you tell? F sharp up to A flat is a diminished 3rd. (Diminished 3rds are enharmonically equivalent to major 2nds.) |
DryErasedTheory - Augmented Sixth Chord Review (3:30) — awesome video by richard johnson |
* Doubly Augmented Sixth Chord |
— another spelling of the German Sixth (enharmonically equivalent) — used in major keys |
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Ask me the “nationality”!
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