In
music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
, the subdominant is the fourth tonal
degree () of the
diatonic scale
In music theory a diatonic scale is a heptatonic scale, heptatonic (seven-note) scale that includes five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by eith ...
. It is so called because it is the same distance ''below'' the
tonic as the
dominant is ''above'' the tonicin other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant. It also happens to be the
note
Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to:
Music and entertainment
* Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music
* ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian
* ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...
one
step below the dominant. In the
movable do solfège system, the subdominant note is sung as ''fa''.
The
triad built on the subdominant note is called the subdominant chord. In
Roman numeral analysis
In music theory, Roman numeral analysis is a type of Harmony, harmonic analysis in which chord (music), chords are represented by Roman numerals, which encode the chord's Degree (music), degree and Function_(music), harmonic function within a given ...
, the subdominant chord is typically symbolized by the Roman numeral "IV" in a major
key, indicating that the chord is a
major triad
In music theory, a major chord is a chord that has a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a major triad. For example, the major triad built on C, called a C major triad, has pitch ...
. In a minor key, it is symbolized by "iv", indicating that the chord is a
minor triad
In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on A, called an A minor triad, has pit ...
.
These chords may also appear as
seventh chords: in major, as IV
M7, or in minor as iv
7 or sometimes IV
7:
A
cadential subdominant chord followed by a tonic chord produces the so-called plagal cadence.
As with other chords which often precede the dominant, subdominant chords typically have
predominant function. In
Riemannian theory
Riemannian theory, in general, refers to the musical theories of German theorist Hugo Riemann (1849–1919). His theoretical writings cover many topics, including musical logic, notation, harmony, melody, phraseology, the history of music theo ...
, it is considered to balance the dominant around the tonic (being as far below the tonic as the dominant is above).
The term ''subdominant'' may also refer to a relationship of musical keys. For example, relative to the key of C major, the key of F major is the subdominant. Music which
modulates (changes key) often modulates to the subdominant when the
leading tone
In music theory, a leading tone (also called subsemitone or leading note in the UK) is a musical note, note or pitch (music), pitch which resolution (music), resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper lea ...
is lowered by
half step to the
subtonic
In music, the subtonic is the degree of a musical scale which is a major second, whole step below the tonic (music), tonic note. In a major key, it is a lowered, or flattened, seventh Degree (music), scale degree (). It appears as the seventh scal ...
(B to B in the key of C). Modulation to the subdominant key often creates a sense of musical relaxation, as opposed to modulation to the dominant (fifth note of the scale), which increases tension.
References
External links
*
Diatonic functions
4
{{music theory stub