Chord Progression III7/VI?
This isn't a question about the program, but it is a question about music theory.
In the key of e minor, I start with the e minor chord (i) then go to a minor (iv). It is at this point that I'm planning to go to the C major chord (VI) in a fancy way. I go from a minor to E7, then F major (deceptive cadence; E7 is expected to go to a minor), then G Major, and finally to the C major I was talking about. The problem is, I have to notate this using the roman numeral system. Because my destination is C major (starting right after a minor), I'd notate the E7 like this: III7/VI (VI is the C major, and E7 is the III7 of that). Is this the correct way to notate this? It might be weird but I don't want to notate it as V7/vi/VI because that looks like a jungle...
Here's what I have so far for the total progression:
i -> iv -> III7/VI -> IV/VI -> V/VI -> VI
Is there a better, more loyal-to-classical-notation way to do this? How would you notate this chord progression?
em -> am -> E7 -> FM -> GM -> CM
Comments
I would probably say you've temporarily modulated to A minor for that passage, so the E7 is V7, the F VI. I suppose you could try to see the F as a Neapolitan, but it's not really functioning that way. More context would help, but in the end, it doesn't really matter.
In reply to I would probably say you've by Marc Sabatella
It seemed like I modulate to a minor, but when I went on to the G Major chord, I was like, "Wait, I can't write natural G; in a minor, it'd have to be G#...", so then I treated it like I modulated to C Major, which initially made sense since my destination is C Major, but it's the III7 thing that weird me out. I don't want to write any key changes, though, so, in your experience, do you think writing III7/VI looks too weird?
In reply to It seemed like I modulate to by Headache99
It's not that it looks weird, it's that III7 isn't really a meaningful function, so talking about III7/VI doesn't really really help clarify the harmonic role of that chord. And if it doesn't help clarify the function, it's probably not the right analysis.
The key of A minor *does* have a G; it just *also* has the option of a G# in situations where the leading tone helps the harmony (hence the name "harmonic minor",even though to be sure it also helps the melody). There are plenty of other situations where the unaltered seventh makes more harmonic sense, and it's fine to consider it as such.
Really though, it would help to hear the rest of the context, including what comes before and after, how the melody works, etc, before making any final decisions.