Functional Harmony

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Functional Harmony operates from the assumption that each chord in a progression has a particular purpose within that progression. This purpose is refered to as the chord's function.

The three basic functions are:

• tonic - chords of rest and resolution
• sub-dominant - chords of movement
• dominant - chords of tension, which move or resolve to tonic

The function of a chord is determined by the scale degrees contained in the chord. The three principal scale degrees used in determining the chords function are the first, fourth and seventh degrees.

• Chords which contain the first scale degree but not the fourth are considered tonic. Chords which do not contain, nor support as a tension, the fourth scale degree are also considered tonic, even if they don't contain the first scale degree (as in Em7 in the key of C).
  

  Imaj7, VIm7, IIIm7

  
  

   

• Chords which contain the fourth scale degree but not the seventh are considered sub-dominant. The chord must include the first scale degree as a chord tone, or allow the first scale degree as a tension, and may include the seventh scale degree as a tension if the first scale degree is present as a chord tone (this is true for both diatonic sub-dominant chords).
  

  IVmaj7, IIm7

  
  

   

• Chords which contain the seventh scale degree but not the first are considered dominant, if the chord can support the fourth scale degree as a chord tone.
  

  V7, VIIm7b5

  
  

   

Non-diatonic chords can be classified using the same qualifications. Note that using substitution chords (one purpose for functional areas) requires that the proper melody-harmony relationship be maintained.

• Tonic examples - note that scale degree 1 functions as tension 13 on the bIIImaj7
  

  bVImaj7, bIIImaj7

  
  

   

• Sub-dominant examples - note that the first two examples include scale degree 1 as a chord tone, and the second two examples allow scale degree 1 as tension 9.
  

  IVm7, bIImaj7	bVIImaj7, bVII7

  
  

   

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