← All lessonsModule 2 · Chords and keys
Home, Away, Tension
Every chord in a key has a job. And there are only three: home, away, and tension.
In this lesson you'll
- Name the three jobs.
- Hear why five pulls back to one.
- Sort all seven chords into families.
Music in this lesson
- La BambaTraditional · Ritchie Valens · 1958
- Twist and ShoutThe Isley Brothers 1962 · The Beatles 1963
- THE 12-BAR BLUESbuilt from I, IV and V
Remember
Three jobs. The tonic is home, the subdominant moves away, the dominant builds tension.
Five goes to one because of the leading tone, and the tritone that squeezes inward.
Chords that share notes share jobs. Six acts like one, two like four, seven like five.