16.4: Other Occurrences of Six-Four Chords
16.4 Other Occurrences of Six-Four Chords
Second-inversion chords with the fifth of the chord in the bass, also known as 46chords, are special chords found only in four situations in classical music.
- Cadential six-four (discussed in the previous section)
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Passing six-four: the bass line will look like a passing-tone figure, with three stepwise ascending or descending notes, and the middle chord will be a 46 chord
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Pedal six-four: the bassline will consist of three repeated notes, and the middle chord will be a 46 chord.
- Melodic bass six-four: in this situation, the bass voice has the melody; when the fifth of the chord occurs in this bass voice melody, the result will be a 46 chord.