subdominant
Noun
Meaning
The fourth tone above, or fifth below, the tonic; -- so called as being under the dominant.
Source: Webster's dictionarySynonyms
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Examples
For example, when C is the tonic, the fourth degree or subdominant is F. When D is the tonic, the fourth degree is G. While the note names remain constant, they may refer to different scale degrees, implying different intervals with respect to the tonic.
For instance, for a blues in the key of C, C is the tonic chord (I) and F is the subdominant (IV).
Beginning with Mozart and Clementi, there began a creeping colonization of the subdominant region (the ii or IV chord, which in the key of C major would be the keys of d minor or F major).
" Hound Dog ", with its unmodified 12-bar structure (in both harmony and lyrics) and a melody centered on flatted third of the tonic (and flatted seventh of the subdominant), is a blues song transformed into a rock and roll song.
As shown in the typical structure above, these are often closely related keys such as the relative dominant and subdominant, although the key structure of fugues varies greatly.
In very much conventionally tonal music, harmonic analysis will reveal a broad prevalence of the primary (often triadic) harmonies : tonic, dominant, and subdominant (i.