Roman numeral and figured bass 1

Table of Contents

Rhythm
Intervals
Key and Scale
Triads and key
Seventh Chords
Non-harm. tones
Roman num/
fig bass 1
Dom-tonic function
Secondary dom
Modulation
Aug 6th Chords
Neap 6th Chords

Section 2:

Borrowed chords
Mediants
Special uses of dim 7
Chromatic non-H tones
Roman num/
figured bass 2

Section 3:

Set theory
Rhythm/ form
12- tone
Polyrhythm
Metric modulation
Meter

Section 4:

Basic Assumptions
Motive, Phrase and Period
Cadence
Binary form
Ternary form
Rounded binary form
Sonata form
Rondo form
Theme and variation
Dance forms

Section 5:

Basic assumptions
and procedures
Harmony
Form and rhythm
Melody
Timbre

Section 6: Bibliography

home

Contents Journal Index First Aid Instructional Papers Forum

Roman numeral and figured bass 1

Basic Concepts

1. The numeric value of the Roman numeral refers to the scale degree upon which a chord is built. That means that the root of the chord falls in the scale at the level the Roman numeral indicates (e.g. V means that the root of the chord is the fifth degree of the scale, regardless of the inversion). (Roman numeral review 1-8: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII; i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii.)

2. The quality of the Roman numeral, that is upper or lower case, indicates the quality of the chord: upper case means major or augmented, lower case means minor or diminished. In the case of seventh chords, the case of the Roman numeral refers to the quality of the triad to which the seventh is added.

3. Figured bass, with or without Roman numerals, lists the pitches above the given bass note by interval in normal relation to that bass note. Be careful that you analyze the chord by intervals above the bass note and not above the root (there is a BIG difference!).

4. Some special cases of conventional usage include the root position triad and the first inversion triad. Root position triads have no figures accompanying them. The first inversion triad has only a 6 usually, not the 6-3. You have to memorize this. See the example below (under heading 7).

5. Augmented chords are indicated with a plus (+) sign and an upper case Roman numeral, I+. Diminished chords are indicated with the degree (°) sign and a lower case Roman numeral, vii°.

6. When performing a Roman numeral analysis, one should always indicate the inversions.

7. Example of common Roman Numeral and Figured Bass usage:

Notice the penultimate chord, V 6-5. It is, of course, a dominant seventh in first inversion. The intervals above the bass note are 6 (F), 5 (E flat), and 3 (C). The 3 is assumed by convention and needs not to be included in the figures.

Notice that the quality of the interval is not included in the figures. For example, the 5 is a diminished fifth. The figures indicate pitches within the key; this is how the quality of the interval is determined. For discussion of non-diatonic figures, see the chapter Roman Numeral and Figured Bass 2.

8. The Roman numeral figures for the seventh chord and its inversions are: root position - V7; first inversion - V6/5; second inversion - V4/3; and third inversion - V4/2. The simple way to memorize this is to remember the pattern of the numbers. Root is 7, first is 6/5, second is 4/3, and third is the lowest at 4/2. The pattern: 7-(6-5)-(4-3)-(4-2). Remember that these figures indicate diatonic pitches. A seventh chord built on the second degree of a major scale would be ii7 (lower case ii).