Brainlag MusicThe Neapolitan sixth leading to the cadential six-four: its flattened 2nd falling smoothly to the tonic.
The smoothest path
The Neapolitan is a pre-dominant: it comes where IIb or IV would, just before a cadence. Its smoothest path is to Ic, then V:
- the flattened supertonic falls a semitone to the tonic;
- the flattened submediant falls a semitone to the dominant;
- the bass rises a step to the dominant, and stays there for V.
The two semitone falls make the chord sound as if it melts into the cadence. That pull is what the chord is for.
The rest of this lesson and its 5 practice questions are in Brainlag Music Theory.
Screen 1 of 2, 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