In the first section of this chapter we talked briefly about ninth and eleventh chords. In general, these chords are uncommon compared to seventh chords because of the extra dissonance in them. There is one of these extended chords, however, that does show up in popular music again and again, the V¹¹. In this section, we’ll learn how it is used and listen to a few examples.
The V¹¹ is an example of a seemingly very complex chord that you might expect to be more at home in a jazz piece. While this might be true of most eleventh chords, the V¹¹ is common in popular music. One of the reasons the inherent dissonance in the eleventh chord doesn’t overpower V¹¹ is that it is usually played with some of its notes omitted. V¹¹ contains scale degrees 5, 7, 2, 4, 6, and 1, but it is rarely played with scale degree 7 (the third scale degree relative to the bass). There would just be too much dissonance otherwise. Many songs also omit scale degree 2 as well (the fifth scale degree relative to the bass). Technically, this chord is called a V¹¹₍ₙₒ₃ ₙₒ₅₎ to distinguish it from the pure V¹¹. Below is a diagram showing the scale degrees that are present in a full V¹¹, along with the notes present in its typical voicing (V¹¹₍ₙₒ₃ ₙₒ₅₎).
For the remainder of this discussion, we will refer exclusively to V¹¹ in its typical voicing (with its third and fifth omitted). For simplicity, we will drop the (no3 no5) subscript even though we refer to the V¹¹₍ₙₒ₃ ₙₒ₅₎ from now on.
Check for Understanding
V¹¹ chords typically contain what four scale degrees?
If we were to remove the bass scale degree from a V¹¹, the remaining three scale degrees form what basic chord?
V¹¹ functions a lot like V⁷; it has a strong pull back to I and is almost always found at the end of a chord progression. “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel is an example of a song that uses V¹¹. The strong progression-ending feel is magnified by the V⁷ₛᵤₛ₄/V → V⁷/V that precedes it. The ⁴ chord has a strong need to resolve to its unembellished counterpart, a secondary dominant, which in turn has a strong pull to the V¹¹. Together these three chords create a powerful set of expectations in the listener:
Another song that uses the V¹¹ is “Valentine” by Martina McBride. It concludes a lengthy progression with a V¹¹ and also incorporates many of the other concepts we’ve learned so far in the book:
In this longer progression, the song makes liberal use of seventh chords, add9s, ⁴s, and secondary chords to add to the complexity and set the mood of this pop ballad. In these longer, more involved progressions, it’s often more important to have a stronger ending so the listener knows the musical idea is coming to an end. V¹¹ can be a good way to do this, especially when paired with other techniques. Here the secondary viiø⁷/V is used to set up the classic “cadential six four” progression that we learned about in Hooktheory I. This I⁶₄ (I in second inversion) → V → I pattern is made even stronger here with V¹¹.
The strong cadential nature of V¹¹ also makes it useful in secondary dominants. In “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” by Michael Jackson, "V¹¹ of IV" is used to set up a strong transition to IV:
Check for Understanding
What are the scale degrees in the secondary chord V¹¹/IV used in the above example? Hint: Repeat the same process you learned in the last chapter on secondary chords.
Check for Understanding
Listen to the prechorus of “Desperado” by The Eagles.
In this example, V¹¹ is functioning similar to another embellished V chord: the V⁷ₛᵤₛ₄ — it pulls first to V⁷ before cadencing to the I. Why does it make sense that V¹¹ can act like a V⁷ₛᵤₛ₄ chord? Hint: Think about what makes a V⁷ₛᵤₛ₄ chord tend toward V⁷