• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Breaking Barlines

Online Music Theory Lessons: Turn Sound Into Skill

  • Home
  • Teaching Samples
  • Music Theory Lessons
  • Blog
  • About Aron Bernstein
  • FAQ
  • Membership Account
    • Log In
    • Your Profile
    • Membership Billing
    • Membership Cancel

augmented6th

September 6, 2021 By Aron Bernstein 3 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge 9/7/21

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

When writing in four voices, what’s the best note of an Italian augmented sixth chord to double?

  • A) The Root
  • B) The Third
  • C) The Sixth

Hint: choose the option that avoids parallel octaves.

Reply to post your answer, and check back on Friday, September 10th to see if you’re right!

ANSWER for 9/7/21

B) The Third. The Italian sixth is the only augmented sixth chord with only three notes, so in a four-voice texture one of them has to be doubled. If you double either the root or the sixth, you get parallel octaves. The only note in the chord that can resolve either up or down is the third, so this is the best note to double. On the staff below, we have an Ab Italian sixth resolving to the V chord in the key of C minor. The third of the Italian sixth, C, can either resolve up to D or down to B. So the alto and tenor double this third, avoiding the parallel octaves you’d get by doubling either the root or the 6th.

Want to Learn More?

With Breaking Barlines you learn music theory the right way: fun, useful, and with a personal touch! Have a look at the complete Breaking Barlines Course! Then sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. New lessons are always being added, so stay tuned!

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: augmented6th, augmentedsixth, breakingbarlines, chords, classicalmusic, harmony, music, musiceducation, musiclessons, musictheory, musicvideo, popmusic

August 16, 2021 By Aron Bernstein 4 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge 8/16/21

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

Below is a German Augmented Sixth Chord resolving to V in the key of C or C minor. Can you spot the voice-leading problem? What is it, and what’s the best way, in classical music, to avoid it?

Reply to post your answer, and check back on Friday, August 20th to see if you’re right!

ANSWER for 8/16/21

Go to Cadential 6/4 First!

The German 6th is the only augmented 6th chord that contains a perfect 5th (seen here in the bass and tenor voices). Going straight to the V chord results in a nasty case of parallel 5ths. For this reason, the German 6th typically does not resolve directly to V.

The most common solution, in classical music, is to resolve the German 6th to I 6/4 (the cadential 6/4). As seen above, this ensures that the perfect fifth in the bass and tenor is broken up before finally resolving to the V chord. This eliminates the parallel 5ths seen at left.

Parallel Fifths
Parallel Fifths Avoided

Want to Learn More?

With Breaking Barlines you learn music theory the right way: fun, useful, and with a personal touch! Have a look at the complete Breaking Barlines Course! Then sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. New lessons are always being added, so stay tuned!

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: augmented6th, Augmented6thchord, augmentedsixth, breakingbarlines, chords, classicalmusic, German6th, harmony, music, musiceducation, musiclessons, musictheory, musicvideo, popmusic

April 5, 2021 By Aron Bernstein Leave a Comment

Weekly Music Theory Challenge: 4/5/21

Show off your music theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question posted here every Monday, and you can comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

When writing in four voices, what’s the best note of an Italian augmented sixth chord to double?

  • A) The Root
  • B) The Third
  • C) The Sixth

Hint: choose the option that avoids parallel octaves.

CHECK BACK on Friday, 4/9 for the answer!

ANSWER for 4/5/21

B) The Third. The Italian sixth is the only augmented sixth chord with only three notes, so in a four-voice texture one of them has to be doubled. If you double either the root or the sixth, you get parallel octaves. The only note in the chord that can resolve either up or down is the third, so this is the best note to double. On the staff below, we have an Ab Italian sixth resolving to the V chord in the key of C minor. The third of the Italian sixth, C, can either resolve up to D or down to B. So the alto and tenor double this third, thereby avoiding parallel octaves.

Want to learn more?

Sign up for a membership and get full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys!

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: 6th, augmented, augmented6th, augmentedsixth, chord, harmony, Italian, Italian6th, musictheory, sixth

Footer

Contact Breaking Barlines

  • Tell us about yourself. What is your experience level in music? What would you like to see in an online music theory course? Your input will become future video lessons.

Copyright © 2023 Breaking Barlines · WordPress Website by Waterlink Web