I
Primary tonic
Strongest home chord.
Harmonic function
Understand why chords move, not only what they are called.
Functional harmony groups chords by musical role. The basic flow is often tonic → predominant → dominant → tonic, with several chords able to serve each family.
harmonic functiontonic predominant dominantchord functionfunctional harmonyharmonic functions music theory
Tonic function
Stability and home.
Tonic-family chords support rest or prolongation of the tonal center.
vi
Tonic-family alternative
Shares important tones with I.
iii
Contextual tonic-family color
Can prolong or connect tonic areas.
Predominant function
Preparation for dominant.
Predominant chords create motion away from tonic and toward V.
ii
Classic predominant
Especially common before V.
IV
Major predominant
Strong and direct preparation.
iv / borrowed colors
Modal predominant
Can intensify movement toward dominant or tonic.
Dominant function
Tension that points toward tonic.
Dominant-family chords contain strong tendency tones.
V / V7
Primary dominant
Strong root and guide-tone pull to I.
vii°
Leading-tone dominant family
Contains tendency tones that resolve to tonic.
Secondary dominants
Temporary dominant
Create local pull toward another diatonic chord.
FAQ
Quick answers about harmonic function.
Use these answers as a reference, then explore the relationships interactively.
What is harmonic function?
A way of describing chords by their role in creating stability, preparation, tension and resolution.
What are the three main harmonic functions?
Tonic, predominant and dominant.
Can more than one chord have the same function?
Yes. Several diatonic or borrowed chords can serve similar functional roles depending on context.
ChordRevelation
Move from explanation to interactive harmony.
Change the key, compare voicings, follow voice leading and see the same idea directly on the fretboard.