This is a I chord and a V in first inversion,
Then a vi, a passing I 64, then IV.
But this song might get boring and you’d prob’ly start ignoring me
If I tried naming every single chord.
But there’s one chord that’s terrific, and its function is specific,
And it hangs around in cadences for fun.
With solfege we can state it if we just arpeggiate it, and
Sol-ti-re-fa is a dominant 7, which brings us home to I.
Of course the IV chord (FA-LA-DO) can be pleasant to the ear.
Then there’s V7/V (RE-FI-LA-DO)
That’s a chord we’re going to learn about more next year!
We’re back to I now, and there’s that V in first inversion,
Just repeating what we’d played when we’d begun.
And this path that we had charted’s going to finish what we started
‘Cause SOL-TI-RE-FA is a dominant 7, which brings us home to…
OH NO! That cadence was deceptive!
It went to minor vi instead of I!
That sort of trick can be effective
At making things last longer when we thought that we were done!
So here we are again and moving toward the finish,
And I think, this time, we will not wait in vain.
Cause I’m tired of extending it, I’m ready for the ending.
And SOL-TI-RE-FA is a dominant 7, which brings us home again.
Yes, SOL-TI-RE-FA is a dominant 7, which brings us home again.
Fa-mi Sol-Sol Ti-Do. Woo!
Written in a pseudo-country style, this song is all about the function and identification of the V7 chord, but also provides a host of other contextual identifications. It discusses a variety of other harmonies, in context, both ones that are likely to have already been studied at this point in the curriculum, and ones that presage things to come (notably the V7/V – “that’s a chord we’re going to learn about more next year.” – or at least later in the semester, but it was true for my class at the time.)
As with many of my songs, it makes intentional use of humor, most notably at the surprise deceptive cadence into the bridge. There, and elsewhere, it reinforces vocabulary used in the classroom that is not necessarily related to the subject at hand.
Ultimately, though, it’s designed to introduce the V7 chord. The chorus is catchy, and has become a significant association for my students, who can easily arpeggiate the chord and describe its function. The end of the song demonstrates melodically the highlights of voice leading from V7 to I.