Diatonic chords in any major key can be labelled as I – ii – iii – IV – V – vi – viiº, where upper case Roman numerals denote major chords and lower-case numerals denote minor chords. Step 2: So in ...

Step 3: The chords we’re interested in here are the mediant - the iii chord (which, in the case of C major, is E minor) - and the submediant - the vi chord (Am here); those whose roots are a 3rd ...

To truly understand this, one must simply play it. You can also create a secondary dominant by making the III chord major instead of minor. In C the III is Em. By substituting an E major instead ...

In fact, it doesn’t reach the I chord at any point in the song. It never arrives home. The repetitive ii-to-iii chord loop (Figure 2, above) generates some dramatic anticipation, but it doesn ...