Chord exceptions in City of New Orleans

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Here are the first few chords of "City of New Orleans" as performed by Arlo Guthrie:



F# C# F# D#m B F#



F# C# F# D#m B F#



D#m A#m C# G#



If I lay out the chords in a roman numeral chart, starting at F#, I get:



| I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii⁰ |
|----+-----+-----+----+----+-----+------|
| F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | Fdim |


So, in the song, he plays a G#. However, the chart predicts a G#m, which is an exception to the chart that sounds good.



Where can I read about these "exceptions"?



Thanks!






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    Here are the first few chords of "City of New Orleans" as performed by Arlo Guthrie:



    F# C# F# D#m B F#



    F# C# F# D#m B F#



    D#m A#m C# G#



    If I lay out the chords in a roman numeral chart, starting at F#, I get:



    | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii⁰ |
    |----+-----+-----+----+----+-----+------|
    | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | Fdim |


    So, in the song, he plays a G#. However, the chart predicts a G#m, which is an exception to the chart that sounds good.



    Where can I read about these "exceptions"?



    Thanks!






    chord-theory chord-progressions roman-numerals







    share|improve this question







    New contributor




    dharmatech is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















      up vote
      1
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      1
      down vote

      favorite











      Here are the first few chords of "City of New Orleans" as performed by Arlo Guthrie:



      F# C# F# D#m B F#



      F# C# F# D#m B F#



      D#m A#m C# G#



      If I lay out the chords in a roman numeral chart, starting at F#, I get:



      | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii⁰ |
      |----+-----+-----+----+----+-----+------|
      | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | Fdim |


      So, in the song, he plays a G#. However, the chart predicts a G#m, which is an exception to the chart that sounds good.



      Where can I read about these "exceptions"?



      Thanks!






      chord-theory chord-progressions roman-numerals







      share|improve this question







      New contributor




      dharmatech is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.











      Here are the first few chords of "City of New Orleans" as performed by Arlo Guthrie:



      F# C# F# D#m B F#



      F# C# F# D#m B F#



      D#m A#m C# G#



      If I lay out the chords in a roman numeral chart, starting at F#, I get:



      | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii⁰ |
      |----+-----+-----+----+----+-----+------|
      | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | Fdim |


      So, in the song, he plays a G#. However, the chart predicts a G#m, which is an exception to the chart that sounds good.



      Where can I read about these "exceptions"?



      Thanks!






      chord-theory chord-progressions roman-numerals




      chord-theory chord-progressions roman-numerals






      share|improve this question







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      dharmatech is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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          1 Answer
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          The chords you've listed in your table are what we call the diatonic triads of a key. "Diatonic" basically just means "within the key," so the diatonic triads are what are created when we only use the pitches in a key's key signature.



          (Quick note related to key signatures: your vii° chord will actually be E♯°, not F°, because E♯ is the seventh scale degree in F♯ major. For more on this concept, see Why do notes have multiple names?)



          The opposite of diatonic is chromatic. Put another way, a chromatic pitch is a pitch that is not in the key's key signature. The G♯-major chord in question has B♯ as its chordal third, which is not in the key signature of F♯ (that would be B♮).



          So whenever we have a chromatic chord like this, we want to try and understand how it functions. In many cases, the appearance of an unexpected major triad can be understood as being a temporary V (or "dominant") of another chord. In this case, the G♯-major chord can best be understood as a temporary V of the C♯ that comes before it. We say that this G♯-major chord is V/V (read "five of five") because it is V of C♯, which is itself V of the tonic F♯. We also call this chord a secondary dominant or applied dominant.



          Typically the secondary dominant chord appears before its resolution; in other words, it's more normal for the G♯-major chord to resolve to C♯ major. But sometimes we have the applied dominant come after the temporary tonic, too. (It's unclear to me where this G♯ moves; it might go back to C♯!)



          As for another "exception," if you ever encounter a minor chord where you're not expecting it, it's often a result of mode mixture (some use the term "borrowed chords"). (See How do I correctly borrow chords from one key to another? for one possible discussion of mode mixture. You also might enjoy What are the different ways of adding non-diatonic chords?)



          TL;DR: That G♯ chord is understood as a temporary V/C♯. Since C♯ is itself V of F♯, we label this chord V/V.






          share|improve this answer






















          • Wonderful answer! Thank you Richard!
            – dharmatech
            2 mins ago










          Your Answer








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          1 Answer
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          up vote
          4
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          accepted










          The chords you've listed in your table are what we call the diatonic triads of a key. "Diatonic" basically just means "within the key," so the diatonic triads are what are created when we only use the pitches in a key's key signature.



          (Quick note related to key signatures: your vii° chord will actually be E♯°, not F°, because E♯ is the seventh scale degree in F♯ major. For more on this concept, see Why do notes have multiple names?)



          The opposite of diatonic is chromatic. Put another way, a chromatic pitch is a pitch that is not in the key's key signature. The G♯-major chord in question has B♯ as its chordal third, which is not in the key signature of F♯ (that would be B♮).



          So whenever we have a chromatic chord like this, we want to try and understand how it functions. In many cases, the appearance of an unexpected major triad can be understood as being a temporary V (or "dominant") of another chord. In this case, the G♯-major chord can best be understood as a temporary V of the C♯ that comes before it. We say that this G♯-major chord is V/V (read "five of five") because it is V of C♯, which is itself V of the tonic F♯. We also call this chord a secondary dominant or applied dominant.



          Typically the secondary dominant chord appears before its resolution; in other words, it's more normal for the G♯-major chord to resolve to C♯ major. But sometimes we have the applied dominant come after the temporary tonic, too. (It's unclear to me where this G♯ moves; it might go back to C♯!)



          As for another "exception," if you ever encounter a minor chord where you're not expecting it, it's often a result of mode mixture (some use the term "borrowed chords"). (See How do I correctly borrow chords from one key to another? for one possible discussion of mode mixture. You also might enjoy What are the different ways of adding non-diatonic chords?)



          TL;DR: That G♯ chord is understood as a temporary V/C♯. Since C♯ is itself V of F♯, we label this chord V/V.






          share|improve this answer






















          • Wonderful answer! Thank you Richard!
            – dharmatech
            2 mins ago














          up vote
          4
          down vote



          accepted










          The chords you've listed in your table are what we call the diatonic triads of a key. "Diatonic" basically just means "within the key," so the diatonic triads are what are created when we only use the pitches in a key's key signature.



          (Quick note related to key signatures: your vii° chord will actually be E♯°, not F°, because E♯ is the seventh scale degree in F♯ major. For more on this concept, see Why do notes have multiple names?)



          The opposite of diatonic is chromatic. Put another way, a chromatic pitch is a pitch that is not in the key's key signature. The G♯-major chord in question has B♯ as its chordal third, which is not in the key signature of F♯ (that would be B♮).



          So whenever we have a chromatic chord like this, we want to try and understand how it functions. In many cases, the appearance of an unexpected major triad can be understood as being a temporary V (or "dominant") of another chord. In this case, the G♯-major chord can best be understood as a temporary V of the C♯ that comes before it. We say that this G♯-major chord is V/V (read "five of five") because it is V of C♯, which is itself V of the tonic F♯. We also call this chord a secondary dominant or applied dominant.



          Typically the secondary dominant chord appears before its resolution; in other words, it's more normal for the G♯-major chord to resolve to C♯ major. But sometimes we have the applied dominant come after the temporary tonic, too. (It's unclear to me where this G♯ moves; it might go back to C♯!)



          As for another "exception," if you ever encounter a minor chord where you're not expecting it, it's often a result of mode mixture (some use the term "borrowed chords"). (See How do I correctly borrow chords from one key to another? for one possible discussion of mode mixture. You also might enjoy What are the different ways of adding non-diatonic chords?)



          TL;DR: That G♯ chord is understood as a temporary V/C♯. Since C♯ is itself V of F♯, we label this chord V/V.






          share|improve this answer






















          • Wonderful answer! Thank you Richard!
            – dharmatech
            2 mins ago












          up vote
          4
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          4
          down vote



          accepted






          The chords you've listed in your table are what we call the diatonic triads of a key. "Diatonic" basically just means "within the key," so the diatonic triads are what are created when we only use the pitches in a key's key signature.



          (Quick note related to key signatures: your vii° chord will actually be E♯°, not F°, because E♯ is the seventh scale degree in F♯ major. For more on this concept, see Why do notes have multiple names?)



          The opposite of diatonic is chromatic. Put another way, a chromatic pitch is a pitch that is not in the key's key signature. The G♯-major chord in question has B♯ as its chordal third, which is not in the key signature of F♯ (that would be B♮).



          So whenever we have a chromatic chord like this, we want to try and understand how it functions. In many cases, the appearance of an unexpected major triad can be understood as being a temporary V (or "dominant") of another chord. In this case, the G♯-major chord can best be understood as a temporary V of the C♯ that comes before it. We say that this G♯-major chord is V/V (read "five of five") because it is V of C♯, which is itself V of the tonic F♯. We also call this chord a secondary dominant or applied dominant.



          Typically the secondary dominant chord appears before its resolution; in other words, it's more normal for the G♯-major chord to resolve to C♯ major. But sometimes we have the applied dominant come after the temporary tonic, too. (It's unclear to me where this G♯ moves; it might go back to C♯!)



          As for another "exception," if you ever encounter a minor chord where you're not expecting it, it's often a result of mode mixture (some use the term "borrowed chords"). (See How do I correctly borrow chords from one key to another? for one possible discussion of mode mixture. You also might enjoy What are the different ways of adding non-diatonic chords?)



          TL;DR: That G♯ chord is understood as a temporary V/C♯. Since C♯ is itself V of F♯, we label this chord V/V.






          share|improve this answer














          The chords you've listed in your table are what we call the diatonic triads of a key. "Diatonic" basically just means "within the key," so the diatonic triads are what are created when we only use the pitches in a key's key signature.



          (Quick note related to key signatures: your vii° chord will actually be E♯°, not F°, because E♯ is the seventh scale degree in F♯ major. For more on this concept, see Why do notes have multiple names?)



          The opposite of diatonic is chromatic. Put another way, a chromatic pitch is a pitch that is not in the key's key signature. The G♯-major chord in question has B♯ as its chordal third, which is not in the key signature of F♯ (that would be B♮).



          So whenever we have a chromatic chord like this, we want to try and understand how it functions. In many cases, the appearance of an unexpected major triad can be understood as being a temporary V (or "dominant") of another chord. In this case, the G♯-major chord can best be understood as a temporary V of the C♯ that comes before it. We say that this G♯-major chord is V/V (read "five of five") because it is V of C♯, which is itself V of the tonic F♯. We also call this chord a secondary dominant or applied dominant.



          Typically the secondary dominant chord appears before its resolution; in other words, it's more normal for the G♯-major chord to resolve to C♯ major. But sometimes we have the applied dominant come after the temporary tonic, too. (It's unclear to me where this G♯ moves; it might go back to C♯!)



          As for another "exception," if you ever encounter a minor chord where you're not expecting it, it's often a result of mode mixture (some use the term "borrowed chords"). (See How do I correctly borrow chords from one key to another? for one possible discussion of mode mixture. You also might enjoy What are the different ways of adding non-diatonic chords?)



          TL;DR: That G♯ chord is understood as a temporary V/C♯. Since C♯ is itself V of F♯, we label this chord V/V.







          share|improve this answer














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          edited 1 hour ago

























          answered 1 hour ago









          Richard

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          • Wonderful answer! Thank you Richard!
            – dharmatech
            2 mins ago
















          • Wonderful answer! Thank you Richard!
            – dharmatech
            2 mins ago















          Wonderful answer! Thank you Richard!
          – dharmatech
          2 mins ago




          Wonderful answer! Thank you Richard!
          – dharmatech
          2 mins ago










          dharmatech is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









           

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