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April 02, 2023
I bVII7 bVI V7
I researched the query "I bVII7 bVI V7" by examining various discussions and resources on Reddit and other websites. I found a range of explanations for this particular cadence, including tritone substitution of a secondary dominant, German Augmented 6, and half tone movements [1]. Some sources also discussed the functions of bVII and bVI in major progressions and their effectiveness in various contexts [2][4]. Additionally, I found several resources for learning music theory, such as online textbooks, websites, and apps [5][6][7][8]. There was a general consensus on the explanations provided, but some specific recommendations varied across sources.
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Tritone Substitution of a Secondary Dominant
German Augmented 6
Half Tone Movements
Functions of bVII and bVI in Major Progressions
Effectiveness of bVII and bVI
Music Theory Resources
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Research
Source: "Best place to learn music theory?" (from reddit, r/musictheory)
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Take music theory courses designed for music majors:
- This way you can visualize and feel the concepts better.
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Use a college theory text with a private music teacher:
- Most likely they would be capable of teaching you music theory, even if the college itself doesn’t offer the courses.
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www.musictheory.net:
- A decent resource for learning music theory.
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Private Music Teacher:
- Introduce theory concepts in tandem with the song(s) they’re working on.
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Pop Music Theory at www.drawmusic.com:
- A resource for learning classical or pop/jazz theory.
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Check the sidebar for lists of resources:
- Textbooks, music theory apps and websites, and ear training apps and websites.
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Learn to play the instrument right:
- Then the theory will make sense.
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Learn the songs of the masters:
- This will teach you exactly what you need.
Source: "Best online music theory program (has to be free)" (from reddit, r/musictheory)
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Open Music Theory
- Open-Access online textbook
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Recommended music theory textbooks
- Provided in the sidebar
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musictheory.net
- Website with lessons and exercises
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teoria.com
- Website with lessons and exercises
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Recommended theory apps for Apple devices
- Provided in the sidebar
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“Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People” by Toby Rush
- Convenient, one-page summaries written by Keepingthecommontone
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Ear training apps and websites
- Found in the sidebar
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Dr. Christopher Brellochs
- Filmed college course on YouTube
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Fretflip.com
- Preset-menu for part 1 and 3
Source: "Best Music theory app for iOS?" (from reddit, r/musictheory)
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Open Music Theory
- Open-access online textbook
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Recommended Music Theory Textbooks
- Link provided to a list of recommended music theory textbooks
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musictheory.net
- Lessons and exercises
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teoria.com
- Lessons and exercises
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Recommended theory apps for Apple devices
- Link provided to a list of recommended music theory apps for Apple devices
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Dave Conservatoire
- Khan Academy style website
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“Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People” by Toby Rush
- Convenient, one-page summaries written by /u/keepingthecommontone of just about every music theory topic
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Ear training apps and websites
- Link provided to a list of ear training apps and websites
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“Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro”
- Check it out on youtube, or their website
- Focussed around harmony
- App is basically a map where you can find, see and hear how chords are related within a tonal centre
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Does Audiciones y ejemplos provide examples and theory in Spanish?
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Does Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People by Toby Rush provide convenient, one-page summaries written by /u/keepingthecommontone of just about every music theory topic?
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Does Dave Conservatoire provide interactive video lessons and quizzes to help learn music theory?
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Does the list of recommended theory apps for Apple devices include applications to help learn music theory?
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Does teoria.com provide lessons and exercises to help understand music theory concepts?
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Does musictheory.net provide lessons and exercises to help understand music theory concepts?
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Does Open Music Theory provide comprehensive overviews of music theory topics?
Source: "What is this cadence? bVI7 V7 I" (from reddit, r/musictheory)
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Tritone substitution of a secondary dominant
- V/V (five of five) but the V7/V (sometimes written as II7) has been swapped out for the dominant 7th chord a tritone away (bVI7, in your example)
- D7 has D F# A C; G#7 (its tritone sub) has G# B# (C) D# (Eb) F# which are the #11, 7, b9, and 3 of the D7 chord so it works like playing D7b9#11 which leads to G just like you’d expect.
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German Augmented 6
- Minor 7th in the bVI (Ab) is instead notated as an augmented 6 (F#), so the chord is written as Ab-C-Eb-F#
- Aug 6th (F#) functions as the leading tone to G, and resolves up by step
- The bVI triad (Ab) resolves downward by step to the Dominant (G)
- In Jazz it would simply be written as an Ab7 chord to make it easier for the players to read
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Half tone movements
- Ab7 has Gb
- G7 has F
- C has E or Eb
Source: "Why is bVI bVII so effective?" (from reddit, r/musictheory)
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bVII-I can serve as a dominant function
- Scale degrees 2 and 4 have a pull towards tonic.
- Chord function is cultural and context-dependent.
- bVII works well as a dominant substitute because even though it doesn’t have a LT, it does have scale degrees 2 and 4.
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bVII-I serves as a tonic expansion
- It instills a sense of resolution in a plagal cadence or plagal expansion.
- It appears frequently in codas as a tonic expansion after a resolute V-I cadence.
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bVII-I serves as a modal substitution
- It’s not atypical for modal music to do the same thing.
- The supertonic chord in modal music can communicate a dominant function.
Source: "What function to bVII and bVI serve when used i..." (from reddit, r/musictheory)
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bVII(7) = V(7)/iii
- This answer was suggested by a reddit user in the comments section. They stated that bVII(7) can be used as a substitute for V(7) in a major progression.
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bVII => V7
- This answer was also suggested by a reddit user in the comments section. They stated that bVII can be used as a substitute for V7 in a major progression.
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bVI IVb I
- This answer was suggested by a reddit user in the comments section. They stated that bVI, IVb, and I can be used in a minor plagal cadence in major.
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bVI - bVII - I
- This answer was also suggested by a reddit user in the comments section. They stated that this progression can be seen as a form of subdominant-dominant-tonic in major.
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Bb9 (tritone substitute for E7)
- This answer was suggested by a reddit user in the comments section. They stated that Bb9 can be used as a tritone substitute for E7, acting as a pivot chord.
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Gm7 C7 Fmaj7 (secondary 2 5 1 of IV)
- This answer was suggested by a reddit user in the comments section. They stated that Gm7 C7 Fmaj7 is a secondary 2 5 1 of IV.
Source: "bVII - how to create it and when to use it : r/..." (from web, www.reddit.com)
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Open Music Theory, an open-access online textbook
- Provides a comprehensive overview of music theory topics
- Includes lessons and exercises to help better understand music theory concepts
-
musictheory.net
- Includes lessons and exercises to help better understand music theory concepts
-
teoria.com
- Includes lessons and exercises to help better understand music theory concepts
-
Recommended theory apps for Apple devices
- Provides a list of apps to help learn music theory
-
Dave Conservatoire, a Khan Academy style website
- Provides interactive video lessons and quizzes to help learn music theory
-
“Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People” by Toby Rush
- Provides convenient, one-page summaries written by /u/keepingthecommontone of just about every music theory topic
-
Audiciones y ejemplos, wiki with schemata examples and theory (Español)
- Provides examples and theory in Spanish
Source: "bVI bVII i progression in mid-90s dance music: ..." (from reddit, r/musictheory)
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It is a common progression since the 80’s
- It was not so common before the 80’s
- It was used in pop, rock, film soundtracks, dance music, game soundtracks, and TV shows in the 80’s
- It is not so common anymore
- It works so well in dance music because it belongs to the minor key
- It was used mostly in instrumental dance music, often not as chords but as samples of a minor chord on an instrument
- It is a subset of the 4 chord song
- It was used in the 50’s and is similar to the ‘50s progression
- It is a very popular minor-mode progression
- It is sometimes called the “Iron Maiden progression” because it is used in heavy metal music
- It is considered a rude mistake in classical music, but it shines in blues
- It is better to think of these as IV/III - V/III - i?!?
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