Have you ever knowingly used one of these? For a moment it blew my mind, but I think I've got a handle on it now Somebody was referring to it as Tonicisation, but I'm not even sure if that is the correct term. Basically it is replacing the mediant chord with the dominant chord from the relative minor key.

Here is an example ..

 

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This song and this good band reset my mind to 90s. Thanks "Zenarcist" for this nostalgic mood ...

 

Yeah, but how about the V/vi chord This song has always sounded a bit different to my ears, and now I know why .. they changed the iii chord to a major III.

Where is @foster911 to explain everything

PS @mile15 it's a great song

 

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Have a listen to L'amour toujours by Gigi d'Agostino
I know because I was confused just like you and wanted to understand, time ago; that the progression has a minor chord altered to a major one. I'm not sure I don't have the MIDI atm and I can't recognize by ear, but if I remember correctly it was like this:

I -> III -> vi -> IV

The iii has its middle note raised up by a semitone making it a major chord.

EDIT: ops, maybe it's not what you meant?

 

Yes, it's the same thing minor to major, but technically you are substituting the iii chord with the V chord from the relative minor.

I'm sure an expert will be along shortly to explain everything

 

.........very interesting! .....Great song too!

 

The bass almost always tells you what is happening. Key of Em. The numeric progression is I, VI, III, IV once you have a dominant 7th in there, you can play around with the major and minor relative 3rds. Guitar players use all sorts of substitutions and suspended/added chords and substiuting things from relative majors and minor scales is a pretty common way of looking for substitute chords.

 

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ahhh the pixies.. went to an oversold show here one time.. they came onstage.. got bad vibes and canceled the show
then left with the proceeds...

true story..

I only know a Gm6 by name... so I can't comment otherwise...

 

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I'm waiting for foster to weigh in...

 

This happens in house music all the time sometimes by accident, but most of the times by intention (basically all the "correct" chords have been used by this time), as many producers are "painting" the chords in piano roll (opposed to play them on the keyboard) then mess around with notes.

 

I love the pixies, I named my cat after them (way before audio utopia)...This song is awesome. Monkey gone to heaven too...
And I have read that you can change the quality of the chord to another quality as long as the root remains the same, maybe that's what this is about (for example for major/minor swap it's called a parallel major/minor substitution)...

 

Someone has posted a link before to this great music resource. You may find it useful.

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/pixies/where-is-my-mind

V/vi implies to me that is functioning as secondary dominant chord. Secondary dominants are used all the time in Jazz in particular to make 2 - 5 - 1 progressions. As a secondary dominant can always be considered a functioning dominant chord. Sorry that's probably Tl/Dr.

Basically all of the chords within a key apart from the seventh (m7b5) chord have a dominant chord a 5th below them.

In my experience secondary dominants usually resolve to their chord within the key but in the case of Where Is My Mind it doesn't. The vi chord happens before its secondary dominant. I'm not sure if this invalidates it from being a true secondary dominant. Maybe someone knows definitively.

E.G. Georgia on my mind second of verse chord is a V7/vi resolving to vi.

Same with this classic performance. Again second and third chord of verse. Not 100% sure especially with this particular version. But pretty sure that the chorus has a few secondary dominants giving it that gospel feel. Check the composer, Billy Taylors version to hear a more gospel sounding one. Secondary dominants more obvious in his versions.

I've posted this song before. Okay so it's real cheesy and a little cringey but does give an interesting idea of secondary dominants. Make sure you read the description and follow the lyrics.

" A V7 of IV can help me linger for awhile it its abode.
A V7 of ii gives me another way to roam
A V7 of vi can start a journey down a long and winding road
'till a ii becomes a V7 of V to take me home!"

 

When in doubt, do a google search for the song you'd like along with phrase hook theory.

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/nina-simone/i-wish-i-knew-how-it-would-feel-to-be-free

Loads of secondary dominants there.

 

Yes, I know it is common and I have used substitutions myself, but I have never knowingly used a V/vi chord before!

I was a bit stumped when I came across it in a song chart. So yes, this thread is a music theory lesson to explain exactly where that minor iii to major III chord substitution comes from

I like most people have just learned enough theory to get by, so if anybody in the future comes across a V/vi chord in any song notation they will know what is going on

Next question, is there such a thing as a V/ii substitution?

 

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HookTheory is exactly the place where I found this nasty V/vi notation lurking

 

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Sorry for my noob question. Can somebody write me down wich chords + bass the guy played in the "secondary dominants song" ? Thank you in advance .

 

5 chords (What? Forbidden consecutive fifths and octaves? ):
E5, C#5, G#5, A5

 

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thank you foster! Are ther any free MIDI´s with those progressions ?

 

It's in the description on Youtube. It's in Roman Numeral form and you might need to count the bars to get it just right. If there is a particular chord or progression you want I'd advise checking the hook theory page of "I Wish I knew How It'd Feel To Be free".

Rock/Metal music is 90% just 5Chords.