Does anyone know a textbook or some music theorist explaining subdominant/dominant chord functions in terms of the two chords being the tonics in subdominant/dominant keys? It’s also where we get the name for the 4th degree of the scale which is the subdominant.. One way you can remember this note is that it’s one note below the dominant, and so is the subdominant. The lesson could not be displayed because JavaScript is disabled. It emphasizes motion away from the tonic chord and sets up the tension. The dominant chord is one fifth above the tonic and the subdominant chord is one fifth below: These two chords create a harmonic tension that resolves into the tonic chord. The Subdominant. An example would be D, E (the supertonic note), F, A, and the D in the higher and next octave. A common 3 chord progression is: I ii V , which is Roman numerals for: 1 (tonic or 1st degree chord) 2 (2nd degree chord in major scale) and 5 (5th degree chord). Subdominant function. To really hear the dominant function in its element, we need to add some chords away from the tonic, and use the dominant chord as the final chord before returning home. Tonic is the lowest, supertonic is two notes above that, mediant it a note above that, subdominant is 4 notes above that note, and dominant is 5 notes above that note. Dominant function. The dominant chord is the fifth chord of the key. Background: I … Is the middle ground between the two previous functions. Conveys a feeling of instability and tension. Transmits a feeling of rest, stability and tranquility. The word Sub means ‘below’ and it’s where we get words like submarine or subway from. Tonic Function. The subdominant chord is the fourth chord of the key. In Diether de la Motte's version of the theory, the three tonal functions are denoted by the letters T, D and S, for Tonic, Dominant and Subdominant respectively; the letters are uppercase for functions in major (T, D, S), lowercase for functions in minor (t, d, s). The dominant and subdominant chords help define the tonic chord. Promotes the idea of completion. Subdominant, in Western music, the fourth note of the diatonic (seven-note) scale (e.g., F in a scale based on C), so named because it lies at the interval of a fifth below the tonic; by contrast, the dominant lies at the fifth above the tonic (e.g., G in a scale based on Listen in the next example of how the subdominant (IV) and dominant (V) chords help define the tonic. Promotes the idea of preparation for the tonic.