[MUSIC] What we're going to talk about now is harmonic function. What is harmonic function? Simply put, harmonic function describes the relationship of a chord to its tonal center. Let me say that again. It describes the relationship of a chord to its tonal center. In other words, how that chord typically functions in a tonal center. How that chord be acting and stuff. Maybe I shouldn't have said that? Well, I already said it. But anyway, how that chord functions. And if you'll notice, when I was introducing chord qualities in Developing a Musicianship 2 and 1, I would often use the one chord, [SOUND] the four chord, [SOUND] and the five chord. [SOUND] And I did that because a lot of music is built upon these three chords. They are the three main chords. The one chord [SOUND] is what we call the tonic. That's home base. Its function is to create a nice stable place to be, [SOUND] home base, tonic. Then you go to the five chord [SOUND] that is your dominant chord, that's your dominant chord. And what makes that chord so unique is it always feels like, in this case, I'm in the key of E flat, so my B flat [SOUND] is my dominant chord. Its function is, [SOUND] it almost feels like it wants to go back to one. [MUSIC] And that's because of that note, [SOUND] the D natural, which we call the leading tone. It's the seventh degree and it feels like [SOUND] it wants to go to one. That its function, it takes us back home. [SOUND] So we have home, one chord, then we have, which is a tonic then we have the five chord which is a dominant chord and it takes us back home. So we have home [SOUND] and then we go to the dominant chord [SOUND] five chord, takes us back to the tonic, the one chord. [SOUND] Then there's the four chord. In the key of E flat, [SOUND] the four chord will be A flat. [SOUND] Now here's kind of, what we like to say, far away from home. He is the subdominant. The subdominant [SOUND] is one step below the dominant, [SOUND] sub, below, get that? You have the dominant. [SOUND] The subdominant is below, one step below. And he's far away from home, [SOUND] okay, he's far away because of the harmonies take you there. That A flat there, [SOUND] the fourth degree, [SOUND] kind of takes us a little bit further away from the tonal center. [SOUND] He is the subdominant. So we have tonic, [SOUND] home, [SOUND] subdominant, [SOUND] far from home, [SOUND] dominant, one step back closer to home, [SOUND] and that dominant will take us through it. Harmonic function, how chords function in the tonality. [SOUND] Tonic, one chord, subdominant, [SOUND] four chord, [SOUND] dominant five chord. [SOUND] Home, [SOUND] far from home, [SOUND] one step away from home. Now we're going home. [SOUND] Tonic, subdominant, [SOUND] dominant, [SOUND] tonic. [SOUND] Hundreds of songs are based upon those three chords. [MUSIC] Tonic, subdominant, dominant, tonic, tonic, subdominant, tonic, dominant and tonic harmonic function.