Contents
7. Variations
Lastly, I again talk about the branches (variations) of functional harmony theory. The one explained so far is based mainly on that of an authentic classical views, which I think is well balanced. But the contents of functional theory really vary.
Functional Harmony in Jazz
For example, the most prevailing system in jazz world will be the one advocated by Berklee College of Music, where IIIm is solely categorized as T, completely eliminating context dependency.
Common system in jazzWhy do such conflicts occur? — It is simply because each school has distinct definition, criteria and purpose of categorization. This is where the difference of philosophy between schools is clearly shown. Classical music and jazz, for example, have totally different musical styles e.g. whether it is based on triads or tetrads. The whole system built according to their own custom, it is a natural consequence that they cannot reach a consensus on the view on chords.
What is confusing is, however, that most of the branches put up the same title “chord functions” and use the same term “tonic / dominant / subdominant“. It can’t be helped that someone who see such conflicts may think that only either one is right and all the others are wrong. But don’t take it that way! It’s just a diversity of music reflected in theories.
Regarding this matter, it will be fully explained in Chapter VIII after a thorough understanding of the philosophy of jazz/classical theory in Chapters VI and VII.
In LMT
Grouping chords. It may seem like the cornerstone of music theory, but in reality, it’s not. Historically, the concept of functional theory originated in the late 19th century, emerging nearly 150 years after the development of classical theory. It means that functional theory is by no means essential to music theory. It’s just optional.
In classical harmony books, it’s not uncommon to find ones that do not adopt the TDS functional theory, and you can even find such examples in jazz theory books too1.
In fact, functional harmony doesn’t offer much more insight beyond what has been introduced here. In the later chapters, various advanced chords are introduced, each with unique applications. Even if they are forcibly classified into TDS, there is little practical benefit (and there are actually only few books that attempt to categorize all chords into the three).
Therefore, LMT keeps a distance from functional harmony theory. We sometimes refer to it for the brief categorization of six prime chords, but that’s all.
You don’t have to (or, should not) stick with categorizing chords into groups, because the truth is that each chord has its own distinct character. That’s the profundity of music, isn’t it?
Now, despite some criticism of functional harmony, I acknowledge that it’s truly important to understand the character of each of the six prime chords. Once again, it’s worth emphasizing the following points:
- I and VIm has the ability to “finish” the story of a chord progression, by virtue of its stability.
- V has the power to create the “peak” of a chord progression.
- Both IV and IIm has the soft floating feel. The two are very alike and interchangable in many situations.
- IIIm has a somewhat ambiguous character; can work as either the dominant in minor key or a weakened tonic-ish chord.
With this wisdom in mind, you’ll be able to skillfully construct the story of a song!
Summary
- Significance of a chord within the key is called a chord function.
- A common method is to categorize chord into 3 groups namely tonic, dominant, subdominant, represented by I,V,IV respectively.
- By analyzing function cycles of a chord progression, you can grasp the tension-release curve of it.
