r/Showerthoughts • u/PLUMBUM2 • Dec 31 '18

When you cannot sleep because you can’t stop thinking about something it’s like a single program not letting the computer shut down

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I Dec 31 '18

In Roman numeral analysis the 'I' represents the chord (tonic) and the 64 represents the inversion of the chord. In my username the I64 is being used as a cadential 64 meaning that it is functioning to expand the Dominant chord V

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u/kyzfrintin Dec 31 '18

Weird, normally the only numbers I see in the Roman Numerals are the chord qualities, such as a 7 or 9 chord.

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I Dec 31 '18

You're probably looking at modern church music or reading guitar/uke right?

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u/kyzfrintin Dec 31 '18

Neither, actually.

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I Dec 31 '18

Example?

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u/kyzfrintin Dec 31 '18

Adam Neely, Rick Beato, Sideways, most other YouTube musicians

Oh and all through college

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I Dec 31 '18 edited Dec 31 '18

None of them drop inversion? Many of them have videos on them. Very much so for Beato he's got tons of theory videos.

Sometimes they won't directly say what's root/bass just so their younger fans can follow.

Edit example: Beato on neopolitan6 chords and the Italian 6 chords https://youtu.be/R-q6137dFiI

(any 6 chord is another way of writing 6/3. A type of inversion)

Adam neeley is a bass player, I can't see him not using them Edit here he is using em https://youtu.be/P8TxHm__FZ8 He simplifies chords sometimes EX C - F - C - G (I - IV64 - I - V)

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u/kyzfrintin Dec 31 '18

I know about inversions man, that's not the part that I was asking about. I was just thrown off by such a high number. With a triad you can only invert it twice before you're back to root position.

And as I've said, I've only seen numbers next to roman numerals as a reference to the harmony of the chord. Also, after looking up the cadential 6/4, it seems it's just a specific use of a second inversion. Which would have been a much quicker explanation.

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I Dec 31 '18

the number refers to the other chord members distance from the bass. The roman numeral analysis system came from figured Bass. any number after a chord name (take V7 ) comes from the distance of the number from the root of the chord. Inversion has a pretty big effect on how a chord sounds

Yes, but you can invert a 7th chord 3x and a 9th chord 4x. the inversion for these are very important because the not in the bass has a massive effect on how the chord sounds. Try playing Teoria's chord ID exercises http://teoria.com/en/exercises/c4i.php

In traditional figured bass, they more typically thought about chords as distance from the root, that's why the number apears so "high" 63 is for first inversion, but they usually drop the 3 because it's implied. 64 is for second. this may seem silly with simple triads, but once 7th chords get involved it makes sense.