Modal Music: Default Western Tonal Harmony

Each “default” chord is a simple triad. For example, in the key of C major/A minor:
- There are three major triads, C, F, and G
- There are three minor triads, Am, Dm, and Em
- There is one diminished triad, Bº
The chords are arranged in a circle with chord roots five semitones apart (fifth progressions down, going clockwise). The only exception is the six-semitone interval between the triad rooted on the note F and the triad rooted on the note B.
The dominant chords with respect to the tonic major and tonic relative minor chords both get converted to V7 chords to provide the dynamic directionality required to establish tonal centres.