SIX-FOUR CHORDS

Cadential, 2, 3

Passing/neighboring, 2, 4

Parent extension, 2, 5

1. Six-four chords are special: in six-four position, triads are most unstable. In other
words, six-four chords generally belong more to the immediately preceding and/or
following chords than do triads in five-three or six-three position.
2. Six-four chords typically fall into three categories:
cadential,
passing/neighboring, and
extension of a parent five-three or six-three chord.

Cadential six-four
3. A cadential six-four chord, in Example 1,
proceeds (or wants to proceed) to a root-position triad or seventh chord on the same
bass, and
gets at least as much metric weight as the following chordgenerally more.

6
4

5
3

Example 1. Cadential six-four chord.

The cadential I 64 (or i 64 ) is a dominant prefix; it promises a V(7). Think of it as a dominant
chord in the act of becoming.

Passing/neighboring six-four
4. A passing/neighboring (or passing/auxiliary) six-four chord, in Example 2,
links two more stable chords, and
the bass either moves to and from the chord by step, or else it is sustained.
Think of the passing/neighboring as a six-four chord made when passing tones (p) and/or neighbor tones
(n) happen in different voices at the same time. (Remember that auxiliary is the same as neighbor.)

a)

5
3

6
4

b)

n


n
n
5
3

6
3

c)

6
4

5
3

5
3

6
4

5
3

Example 2. Passing/neighboring six-four chords.

A passing/neighboring six-four chord can get less (Example 2a) or more (2b) metric weight
than the chords it links. In (2a) and (2b), the bass moves to and from the six-four chord by
step; in (2c), its sustained.

Extension six-four
5. An extension of a parent five-three or six-three, shown in Example 3,
follows a five-three or six-three with the same root (its parent), and
is metrically lighter than its parent.

5
3

6
4

Example 3. Extension.
The six-four chord in Example 3 helps to extend a D minor chord through the entire
measure.

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Six-four Chords, -2-