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4.12: The Mediant Harmonizing Mi (Scale Degree 3) in the Bass

  • Page ID
    232683
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    Key Takeaways

    • The iii chord (III in minor) is a weak predominant that typically moves through a strong predominant on the way to a V chord.
    • In major, iii usually harmonizes a descending ti (\hat7); similarly, in minor, III usually harmonizes a descending te (\downarrow\hat7).
    • iii/III is usually found in root position.
    • iii is not used as a substitute for I6 (see the explanation below Example 1).
    • iii is not not a very common chord.

    Chapter Playlist

    Overview: the iii chord

    \[(\hat7/\downarrow\hat7)\]

    A link to an interactive elements can be found at the bottom of this page.

    Example 1. The iii chord in Koji Kondo’s Athletic Theme from Super Mario 3 (4:19–4:24).

    \[(\hat1-\hat2-\hat3)\]

    Writing with iii

    \[(\hat{6})\]

    \[(\downarrow\hat{7})\]

    A link to an interactive elements can be found at the bottom of this page.

    Example 2. Writing with iii going to a strong predominant.

    \[(\downarrow\hat{7})\]

    A link to an interactive elements can be found at the bottom of this page.

    Example 3. Writing with iii going to V.

    Assignments

    1. Mi (\hat3) in the bass at beginnings (.pdf, .docx). Asks students to realize unfigured bass, analyze, and do a transcription with analysis.

    This page titled 4.12: The Mediant Harmonizing Mi (Scale Degree 3) in the Bass is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Mark Gotham, Kyle Gullings, Chelsey Hamm, Bryn Hughes, Brian Jarvis; Megan Lavengood, and John Peterson via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.