Chromatic Harmony
Chromatic harmony uses notes outside the active key. Those notes can tonicize a chord, borrow modal color, intensify a predominant or connect distant harmonies by semitone. The resolution and voice leading explain why the chord belongs in the phrase.
- notes outside the key
- function or color
- voice leading explains the connection
What makes harmony chromatic?
C major supplies C-D-E-F-G-A-B. Any harmony that introduces a pitch such as C sharp, E flat or F sharp is chromatic relative to that key.
“Chromatic” describes the pitch source, not one function. D7 in C may act as V/V. Fm may be borrowed from C minor. E major may connect to C through a shared E and semitone motion.
Name the active key first, then identify the altered note and follow it into the next chord.
What are the main types of chromatic harmony?
- Secondary dominants
A dominant chord targets a diatonic chord other than I, such as D7-G in C major.
- Modal interchange
A chord is borrowed from a parallel mode, such as Fm-C in C major.
- Chromatic predominants
Neapolitan and augmented-sixth chords intensify the approach to V.
- Diminished seventh chords
Symmetry and enharmonic spelling let one sonority resolve in several directions.
- Chromatic mediants
Major or minor chords a third apart combine a common tone with close voice leading.
How does a Neapolitan chord work?
In C minor, lower scale degree 2 from D to D flat and build a major triad: D-flat-F-A-flat. This is flat II, the Neapolitan.
It commonly appears in first inversion as D-flat/F, written flat II6. F in the bass can move up to G, while D flat commonly moves toward B through an intermediate C or directly by a diminished third in some voice-leading patterns.
The Neapolitan has predominant function. It prepares V and is especially common in minor keys.
What are augmented-sixth chords?
Augmented-sixth chords contain flat scale degree 6 below and sharp scale degree 4 above. In C, those notes are A flat and F sharp.
A flat falls to G and F sharp rises to G. The two notes expand outward into an octave on scale degree 5, so the chord strongly prepares the dominant.
- Italian sixth: A flat-C-F sharp
- French sixth: A flat-C-D-F sharp
- German sixth: A flat-C-E flat-F sharp
The German form often moves through a cadential six-four to avoid parallel fifths in classical four-part writing.
How can one diminished seventh chord lead several ways?
A fully diminished seventh divides the octave into four equal minor thirds. B-D-F-A flat can be respelled so that any chord tone functions as a leading tone.
The sounding pitch collection stays the same on an equal-tempered instrument, but spelling and resolution establish a different root and destination.
Resolve B upward to C and the chord supports C. Respelling A flat as G sharp allows that pitch to rise toward A. Context turns symmetry into direction.
What is a chromatic mediant?
Chromatic mediants are chords whose roots are a third apart and whose qualities or notes place one chord outside the key.
From C major, E major shares E. C falls to B and G rises to G sharp. A-flat major shares C; E falls to E flat and G rises to A flat.
| From C major to | Shared tone | Small movements |
|---|---|---|
| E major | E | C-B, G-G sharp |
| A major | E | C-C sharp, G-A |
| E-flat major | G | C-B flat, E-E flat |
| A-flat major | C | E-E flat, G-A flat |
The root relationship sounds broad while the individual voices remain close. This combination is common in Romantic harmony and film scoring.
How do you analyze a chromatic chord?
- Confirm the keyidentify the tonic supported by the larger phrase.
- Mark every altered pitchcompare the chord with the key signature.
- Follow each altered notelook for leading tones, common tones and semitone resolutions.
- Identify the targetdecide whether the chord points to V, another diatonic chord or a new tonic.
- Choose the narrowest explanationsecondary dominant, mixture, chromatic predominant, mediant or modulation.
Does every chromatic note need to resolve by semitone?
No. Chromatic passing notes can connect diatonic tones, and color chords can move through common tones or larger root relationships.
Semitone motion is common because it makes altered notes easy to follow. It is an analytical clue, not a universal law.
Chromatic harmony can also create deliberate discontinuity. A sudden mediant shift may sound effective precisely because the root changes unexpectedly, even while one upper note remains fixed.
How should you practice chromatic harmony?
Play the diatonic progression before adding the chromatic chord. Compare C-Am-Dm-G-C with C-Am-D7-G-C and follow F sharp into G.
Next, compare F-C with Fm-C and follow A flat into G. Finally, play C-E-C and identify the common E plus the two semitone movements.
Describe what the altered pitch does before memorizing the chord name. That habit connects every new label to an audible event.