CHROMATIC- When a triad, chord or melody consists of notes from outside the given key, it is considered to be CHROMATIC.

DIATONIC- When a triad, chord or melody consists of notes solely from the given key, it is considered to be DIATONIC.

TONIC (I)- A note in a melody or a chord in a progression based on scale degree 1 of the given key.

DOMINANT (V)- A note in a melody or a chord in a progression based on scale degree 5 of the given key.

LEADING TONE (vii°)- A note in a melody or a chord in a progression based on scale degree 7 of the major key or #7 of a minor key.

SEVENTH (7)- This would be the 4th chord tone added to a TRIAD. It will be a 7th above the root of the given chord. It can be major, minor, augmented or diminished. SECONDARY DOMINANT- When a chord, other than the V chord of the given key, is temporarily given a DOMINANT function.
SECONDARY LEADING TONE (viiº/ )- This chord can act as a leading tone function to a chord other than the tonic. AUGMENTED TRIAD- This is a TRIAD made up of stacked MAJOR 3rds.

ITALIAN AUGMENTED 6TH CHORD- This chord is built with a b6 and a #4. It also includes the TONIC.

FRENCH AUGMENTED 6TH CHORD- This chord is built with a b6 and a #4. It also includes the TONIC and the SUPERTONIC (scale degree 2).

GERMAN AUGMENTED 6TH CHORD- This chord is built with a b6 and a #4. It also includes the TONIC and the flatted MEDIANT (scale degree b3).

DIMINISHED TRIAD- This is a TRIAD made up of stacked MINOR 3rds.

-One of the main reasons a composer, or arranger, might use different ENHARMONIC SPELLINGS is to aid the performer in their reading. Notes with sharp (#) accidentals typically move up. Notes with flat accidentals (b) typically move down. TYPICALLY. No hard rules in music theory!

-Below, in measure 3, we have a C#º7. This chord will act as a vii°7/ that will move to a I chord in 1st inversion before landing on the V chord. Notice the A# in the upper voice. Normally, you would spell the C#º7 chord as: C# - E - G - Bb. This is because we build chords by stacking 3rds, thereby skipping letters as we go. But in this case, we will call the Bb an A# because it moves up to the G in the following chord.

-In the case of ENHARMONIC REINTERPRETATION, we will recognize one chord as another in a different key.

-Below we see a I - V7 - I progression in the key of G major. In measure 2, we have a V7 chord which is spelled: D - F# - A - C. (scale degrees 1 - 3 - 5 - 7). Nothing out of the ordinary. But pay attention to the C note in the V7 chord.


-In the example below, we see that the first two chords are sonically identical to the example of above. However, we are respelling the C note as B#. Now we have, in F#m, scale degree 1 (F#), scale degree b3 (A), scale degree b6 and scale degree #4 (B#). These notes spell out the German Augmented 6 chord (Ger+6) in the new key, F#m. We have ENHARMONICALLY REINTERPRETED this V7 as the Ger+ 6 in the new kev. If we had gone to F# major, we would've moved to a key 5 accidentals away!


There are four chords that can be enharmonically reinterpreted in different keys. The listener might actually hear these reinterpretations when they land in a different place than expected.

1- The MAJOR-MINOR SEVENTH can be reinterpreted as a V7 or as a Ger+6, as demonstrated.

2- The FULLY DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORD can be reinterpreted as a LEADING TONE chord with any of the other 3 chord members as the root.

3- The AUGMENTED TRIAD can be the AUGMENTED TRIAD of any of 3 keys. Like the FULLY DIMINISHED SEVENTH chord, this triad is a symmetrical set.

4- The FRENCH +6 TRIAD can be the Fr+6 of the key a TRITONE away.

-In ENHARMONIC MODULATION, the common chord is reinterpreted enharmonically to better fit the new key. In this case, the spelling is not important. But the common chord should actually be sonically recognized as a sensible chord in both keys.

-As seen earlier, the V7 chord can be reinterpreted as the Ger+6 chord in the new key. Below we have a I - V7/IV - IV - V - I. Nothing strange about that. But pay attention to the V7/IV chord in measure 2.


-Below, the chord progression takes a different journey after the 2nd measure. The G natural (scale degree 7) and the E (scale degree 5), in the old key (A major) have now become F (scale degree #4) and Eb (scale degree b6) in the new key (C# minor). So we have reinterpreted this chord in a new key.

-While the DIMINISHED 7th chord can go to 4 different places, using any chord tone as a leading tone, it is not as commonly used as the previously mentioned MAJOR MINOR 7TH chord. Below, we are modulating to F# major from C major by reinterpreting the viiº7 chord, in first inversion, of the old key to viiº7 in the new key.