In Tonal music language
( any music in a Key )

The deepest level of meaning are the

Functions.

There are 3 functions ( groups which all chords fit into )

Then there are 3 functional blueprints which all progressions or song sections are made from .

Let's look at the three functions and what they mean .

Tonic.-
The hero of the story . Home.
Relaxed . A passive chord . Stillness.

Dominant-
The villian of the story . Farthest away from home.
Tense . An active chord . Motion .

Subdominant-
The journey in the story, away from home .
Movement . An active chord . Motion .


ALL chords fit into These 3 ' groups '

It is a way to categorise chords as the same meaning as each other .
( just like in spoken language a bunch of words with sharing the same meaning .)

How do these 3 functions work ?

There are only 3 small blueprints
Called " the 3 functional blueprints "

Which all progressions and song sections are made from .


Let's look at the 3 functional blueprints
( in functional harmony tonal language)

1. The heros journey

[Tonic] / [ Subdominant] / [ Tonic]

We establish the hero , go on a journey then go back home .
We create harmonic motion were the harmony gently pulls us back to home creating motion and interest that is gentle.

2. The Hero defeats the villian

[ Tonic]/ [ Dominant] /[ Tonic]
We establish the hero , the villian enters and after a battle the hero is victorious at the end .

This creates an exclamation point on our hero at the end ( signaling the victory )

The tension created by the dominant function
Resolves to the tonic .


3. A journey before the hero defeats the villian

[Subdominant]/[Dominant]/[Tonic]

It is a less abrupt version of the hero defeats the villain because the tension slowly increases
From Subdominant to dominant, then that dominant pulls us hard to resolve on the tonic.


If we notice , we have have a section of 3
In each blueprint.

We can duplicate the function on each end
In order to give us 4 ( for 4/4 time signature)

Example .

Blueprint 1 .

Tonic / subdominant/ tonic

Becomes

Tonic / subdom/ Tonic / Tonic .

Or

Tonic / tonic/ subdominant/ tonic


Let's look at functional blueprint 2 now .

Tonic/ Dominant/ tonic

Becomes

Tonic/ Dominant/ tonic/ tonic

Or

Tonic/ tonic/ Dominant/tonic


Let's look at functional blueprint 3

Subdominant/ Dominant/ tonic

This Becomes

Subdom/ Dominant/ tonic/ tonic

Or it becomes

Subdom / Subdom/ Dominant/ tonic.



Part II

We have the 3 functions , and the 3 functional blueprints , we also have their modification.

Let's now see plugging in the specific chords into the functional blueprints in a specific context.

The key of C major .

First functional blueprint

[Tonic] /[ Subdominant]/[Tonic]
Cmaj7/Fmaj7/Cmaj7
Or
Amin7/Dmin7/Amin7
Or
Emin7/Fmaj7/C6
Or
Amin6/F#dim7/F#min7b5
Or
Bmin7/Abmaj7/[C6/9]

Let's see with a modification key C major

[Tonic]/[Tonic]/[Subdom]/[Tonic]
Cmaj7/Cmaj7/Fmaj7/Cmaj7
Or
Emin7/Amin7/Dmin7/Cmaj7
Or
Bmin7/Amin7/Dbmaj7/C6


Lets look at the 2nd harmonic blueprint
Key of C major

[Tonic]/[Dominant]/[Tonic]
Cmaj7/G7/Cmaj7
Or
C6/Bdim7/C6
Or
Amin6/Abdim7/Cmaj9
Or
F#min7b5/Fmin7b5/Emin7
Or
G6/Gmin7b5/F#min7b5

Lets see it with modification
Key of C major

[Tonic]/[Dominant]/[Tonic]/[Tonic]
C6/ G7/ C6/ C6
Or
F#min7b5/Gmin7b5/C6/Emin7
Or
Bmin7/Bdim7/Aminmaj/F#min7b5
Or
D6/Ddim7/C6/Amin6


Lets see the 3rd functional blueprint
Key of C major

[Subdominant]/[Dominant]/[Tonic]
Dmin7/G7/Cmaj7
Or
Fmaj/Gmaj/Cmaj
Or
F#dim7/Fdim7/Emin7
Or
Fminmaj/Fmin7b5/Aminmaj
Or
Dmin7b5/Ddim7/G6

Lets see a modification in key of
C major

[Subdom]/[Subdom]/[Dom]/[Tonic]
F#dim7/F6/Fdim7/C6
Or
Dmin7/Abmaj7/Abdim7/G6
Or
Fmaj7/Dmin7/G7/Cmaj
Or
Fminmaj/Dbmaj7/Db6/C6
Or
Bb7/Fmin6/Fdim7/Emin7

 

Last edited: Nov 14, 2021

Let's look at a master chart of

All the specific chords in each function for a key .

Major
Key I ii iii IV V vi vii I

Tonic function chords in key

Imaj7 ( I6)
vimin7( I6)
iiimin7( V6)
II6
II7
#iv min7b5
Vmaj7 ( V6 )
viimin7 ( II6)
viminmaj
vimin7
vimin6
I minmaj
Imin7
imin6
Idim7


Subdominant function chords
iimin7 ( IV6)
IVmaj7 (IV6)

ivminmaj
ivmin7
ivmin6
bIImaj7 (bII6)
bVImaj7
iimin7b5
bIImaj7
#IVdim7 (VII7,II7,IV7,bVI7)
IV7
bVI7
VII7
II7

Dominant function chords

viimin7b5
V7

viidim7,( iidim7,ivdim7,bvidim7)
bVII7
bII7
III7
bVIminMaj
ivmin7b5
Vmin7b5
bII6
bIII7
bViimin7

 

Last edited: Nov 14, 2021

The way our 3 functions work is like a gradient.

Tonic is very still with the diatonic chords , as you move to the non diatonic chords is gains a little bit of motion.

The Subdominant chords diatonic chords start their tension level right where the tension of the tonic's non diatonic chords left off.
( a smooth gradient)
Then the non diatonic Subdominant chords gain more tension right until the Dominant function diatonic chords
Pick up with more tension .
Then the non diatonic Dominant function chords smoothly gain the most tension .


Still to tense gradient.
Tonic ..diatonic..non diatonic..Subdominant..diatonic.
Non diatonic...dominant..diatonic..non diatonic..