Introducing Chromatic Harmony

Up to this point, we have been discussing only harmony that occurs within a given key—diatonic harmony. (See this music theory lesson for a review of diatonic harmony.)

What is Chromatic Harmony?

Whenever pitches occur that do not belong to a given key, these pitches are said to be chromatic. Chromatic notes in written music are usually easy to identify because they require accidentals.

Most of the time, chromatic pitches change the harmony of a given musical passage.These altered chords as they’re sometimes called are the basis of chromatic harmony.

It is very difficult to find a piece of music that doesn’t have at least some chromatic harmony, as most music would be rather monotonous without it. Chromatic harmony adds color, drama and excitement to the music.

Chromatic Harmony in Music Theory

Unfortunately, chromatic harmony makes the task of learning music theory a bit more complicated. But don’t be intimidated; most chromatic harmony is logical, and with a little patience, is fairly easy to understand.

In tonal music, most chromatic harmony falls into one of the following categories:

• Secondary Dominants
• Borrowed Chords (Mode Mixture)
• The Neapolitan Sixth Chord
• Augmented Sixth Chords
• Altered Dominants
• Linear Harmony

We’ll take each of these concepts one by one, and show you how to write and recognize the various types of chromatic harmony in four-voices.

Chromatic Harmony and Changing Keys (Modulation)

When a single chromatic chord occurs in a passage of music, we hear it as being foreign to the key that we hear as tonic. For example, if the music is in the key of C major (no sharps or flats), and a chord passes by with an F-sharp in it, we recognize that chord as not belonging to the key of C.

But what if the music is going along in C major, then several chords occur with an F-sharp, and only a few or no chords with F-naturals? When this happens, we may hear a change in the tonal center, or the key of the music. If a passage of music is in C major, and most of the Fs are made sharp, we more than likely will hear a key change from C major to G major (or possibly E minor), which has an F-sharp in the key signature. When music changes keys in the middle of a passage of music, it is called a modulation.

As with chromatic harmony, composers and arrangers use key changes to help create interest, tension, and drama in the music. There are numerous ways that music modulates, many of them using one or more of the categories of chromatic chords we will be learning. So, as we walk through the various types of chromatic harmony, we also will be learning how they may be used to change keys.

Harmony Table of Contents

Lessons Table of Contents