In music theory

Music theory

Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...

, Terzschritt (De

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

: third step) is a dualistic major third

Major third

In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...

 relationship, in which the ascending progression from a major tonic

Tonic (music)

In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...

 triad to major mediant

Mediant

In music, the mediant is the third scale degree of the diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant. Similarly, the submediant is halfway between the tonic and subdominant...

 triad is equivalent to the descending one between a major tonic triad and a flat subdominant

Subdominant

In music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance "below" the tonic as the dominant is above the tonic - in other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant. It is also the note immediately...

 minor triad. The major chord on the mediant is itself the Terzklang (De: third chord).

"'Where is the E major chord

Major chord

In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...

 in C major?'...a Terzschritt from the tonic....'What is the E major triad

Triad (music)

In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:* the Root...

 in C major?'...a Terzklang....'How does the E major triad make sense in C major?'...it functions either as III+...or as [ D

Dominant (music)

In music, the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, called "dominant" because it is next in importance to the tonic,and a dominant chord is any chord built upon that pitch, using the notes of the same diatonic scale...

](SP

Subdominant parallel

In music theory, the subdominant parallel is the relative to the subdominant and is thus considered to have or fulfill the function of the subdominant. The term is derived from German theory and the writings of Hugo Riemann....

)."

In the work of Hugo Riemann

Hugo Riemann

Karl Wilhelm Julius Hugo Riemann was a German music theorist.-Biography:Riemann was born at Grossmehlra, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. He was educated in theory by Frankenberger, studied the piano with Barthel and Ratzenberger, studied law, and finally philosophy and history at Berlin and Tübingen...

 (1849-1919), inversionally

Inversion (music)

In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices...

 related chord progression

Chord progression

A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...

s are grouped together: the progressions C major->E major and C minor->Ab minor belong to the same category: "Terzschritt" (see counter parallel

Counter parallel

In music theory, the counter parallel is terminology used in German theory derived mainly from Hugo Riemann to refer to relative diatonic functions and is abbreviated Tcp in major and tCp in minor...

). The first of these moves a major triad up by major third

Major third

In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...

, while the second moves a minor triad down by major third, with the switch from ascending to descending motion accompanying the change from major to minor. In the context of neo-Riemannian theory

Neo-Riemannian theory

Neo-Riemannian theory refers to a loose collection of ideas present in the writings of music theorists such as David Lewin, Brian Hyer, Richard Cohn, and Henry Klumpenhouwer...

, this transformation is called "L-then-P". The basic transformations of neo-Riemannian theory, discussed below, all associate changes in direction with the switch from major to minor.