Grade 7 Music Theory, Unit 1, Lesson 2 of 4
Brainlag Music

Laying it out in four parts

Music theory, The Neapolitan sixth, 12 minutes

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Which note of the Neapolitan sixth to double, and why, with a worked example built up a step at a time.

Double the bass

The bass F doubled by the alto

In four parts one note of the triad is doubled. In the Neapolitan sixth, double the bass, the subdominant. The other two notes both have to fall: the flattened supertonic to the tonic (or the leading note), the flattened submediant to the dominant. Doubled, either would give consecutive octaves.

The rest of this lesson and its 5 practice questions are in Brainlag Music Theory.

Screen 1 of 3, 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