six four chords

[theholygideons]

Can someone please explain how to prepare and resolve a six four chord?
i've been reading theory of harmony and have gotten quite confused. 

[ajspiano]

Can someone please explain how to prepare and resolve a six four chord?
i've been reading theory of harmony and have gotten quite confused. 

What background in theory do you already have?

[theholygideons]

I understand doubling, 4 part harmony, preparing and resolving 7th chords, and six chords.
but i'm reading about six four chords and i'm like, what's the point of all this.

[ajspiano]

I understand doubling, 4 part harmony, preparing and resolving 7th chords, and six chords.
but i'm reading about six four chords and i'm like, what's the point of all this.

Well 6 4 chords are inversions right, in 4 part, GCE - as opposed to CEG.

without talking about "preparing" or "resolving"...

Suppose you have a chord progression of I, V, I, IV, I...
in c major, your bass line is C, G, C, F, C.

But you want your piece to have a sense of rising up..  so you make the bass line something like CDEFG.. it smooths it out, for a more melodic line in the lower end.

now the chord progression is like I, V64, I6, IV, I64.

...

here, found a picture of nearly exactly what I just said.. with a proper resolution to the tonic.

[quantum]

Another use of the 64 chord is the Cadential 64.  The Cadential 64 basically serves as a preparation to V, which resolves to I.  

Basic formula:
... V64, V, I

The 64 of the V64 resolves to the 53 of the V.  There is a common bass note between the V64 and V.  

The Candential 64 "developed out of a very old voice-leading technique: delaying the leading tone at a cadence by means of suspension." (Aldwell & Schacter 1978)

You could basically use a Cadential 64 to expand the feeling of V-I movement.  If you wished, even greater expansion can be achieved by inserting a V7: V64, V, V7, I.  

Real world example:
Bach WTC II, Fugue 9, Bar 42-43


This Cadential 64 differes in application to the example given above by ajspiano, in which the 64 chord is used to facilitate harmonic progression with a desired stepwise motion in the bass. 

[ajspiano]

Thanks for posting that quantum - that much better explains it in a prepare/resolve kind of context.

I must admit the question initially struck me as odd because I thought "well if there's no cadence in question why do I need to think of it as a resolution, or requiring a resolution immediately following"

I don't personally use a lot of theoretical rules, rather just broadly experiement for sounds I like. And the cadential 64 is certainly something I would use, and there must be near a million examples of this in the classical period repertoire, especially at the ending of sonata movements.

However, to add.. my immediate gut reaction to reading the presentation of a theoretical explaination is that we should be able to extrapolate that to use with other cadences - such as follows.

(firstly, I think you meant I64, V, I?)

GCE, GBD, CEG.

so its like an imperfect, a I-V initially, crossed over to a perfect cadence... but what if we did some kind of extension to a difference cadence.. like a II-V imperfect  on to an interrupted or something?

so it'd be like V64, ii, V, vi6

DGB, DFA, GBD, CEA - or for a slightly more thought out version see the attached image (flawed by at least one consecutive octave)

..I'm a little to burnt out to mentally process what that would sound like right now though, so that might be a terrible musical idea without a some adjustments (especially in isolation like that) 

[nystul]

The 64 was considered much less stable than a chord in root position.  Even to the point where the fourth above the bass is considered dissonant in counterpoint.  So these chords were treated as waypoint rather than a final destination.  And there is something to it.

I'm looking right now at Beethoven's Sonatina in G major.  At the end of the first movement there is a 10 measure coda which is basically just a V-I cadence that has been stretched out.  The first four measure phrase of that coda goes D7, G64, D, G64.  When you reach this point, it does not sound at all like we have resolved to the tonic.  Even someone without musical background would probably recognize that the piece isn't "done".  Even though it is an inverted G chord it is really still part of a D harmony and needs to resolve back to D before we can finish with G.  Which is exactly what Beethoven wanted.  Because he gets paid by the measure.

So we continue with the D harmony in the second phrase with D7, G64, D, and now we get G in root position.  And at that point there is a real sense of finality.  But just to be safe, Beethoven will have us spend another 2 measures pounding G chords.

[ajspiano]

But just to be safe, Beethoven will have us spend another 2 measures pounding G chords.

This is the only proper way to communicate the finality of a piece. 

[quantum]

(firstly, I think you meant I64, V, I?)

Yes I64.  However, Aldwell and Schacter (2nd ed) refer to it as a V64.  In fact there is an entire chapter covering the use of this chord. 

It probably has something to do with outlining the resolution of 64-53, and that really the two chords serve as a pair.  Saying V64-53 does more to outline the fact that the intent is really to move towards a V chord.  It gives more clarity as opposed to I64, V, I; or I64, V, V7, I.  Calling it a V64 also alludes to its specific use as a Cadential 64, differentiating it from other functional uses of the 64 chord. 

An example, a single V with outlines of voice movements:

Code: [Select]

V8---------7-------- I
 6----5-------------
 4----3-------------


[ajspiano]

Yes I64.  However, Aldwell and Schacter (2nd ed) refer to it as a V64.  In fact there is an entire chapter covering the use of this chord. 

It probably has something to do with outlining the resolution of 64-53, and that really the two chords serve as a pair.  Saying V64-53 does more to outline the fact that the intent is really to move towards a V chord.  It gives more clarity as opposed to I64, V, I; or I64, V, V7, I.  Calling it a V64 also alludes to its specific use as a Cadential 64, differentiating it from other functional uses of the 64 chord. 

An example, a single V with outlines of voice movements:

Code: [Select]

V8---------7-------- I
 6----5-------------
 4----3-------------


Fair enough.

That's what I get for having studied more jazz theory than classical theory..  I'd typically refer to it just as an I chord, or perhaps with a /V after it to indicate the bass note.

[iquinn876]

I'm studying this in harmony right now.
The I64 chord is a I chord in the third inversion. It's called a V64 chord because the root of the chord is the V. You resolve V64 like this:
 
    (7)
  6-5
V4-3-I

Hope I helped.