Brainlag MusicWhy IIb or IV comes before V, and the cadential six-four: IIb Ic V I, the pattern to know by heart for question 1.
IV or IIb before V
The chord before V is usually IV or IIb. Both have the subdominant (the 4th degree) in the bass, rising one step to the dominant.
That rising step is a strong, smooth bass line into the cadence.
IIb is often the better choice. It shares two notes with IV, but its root, the supertonic, moves easily by step into the notes of V. It is also why II in a minor key (diminished) is used as IIb.
The rest of this lesson and its 5 practice questions are in Brainlag Music Theory.
Screen 1 of 5, free to read.
- 5 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards