Hi all ben again
On my theory paper It says Below the stave write 64 53 (Ic-V) under two successsive chords where this progressino occurs over the dominant note.
What do I do?
I dont understand.

Please help

Thanks

ben.

Hi Ben

The 64 means chord Ic.
The 53 means chord V.

You are looking for the progression Ic-V. Does this make sense?

Steve

No It dose not make sense sorry still dont understand.

Not surprised, Ben, and it does not make you an idiot. My students struggle with this.

Do you understand what I mean by Chords I, IV & V?

Steve

Well I Is 1 IV 6 & V 5
Its all wrong I know

Another way of referring to a second inversion chord is to call it a 6/4 chord. In C major for eg the second inversion would be 'G' 'C' 'E'. Because G is at the bottom, 'C' is a fourth above it and 'E' is a sixth above it.

A 5/3 chord is a root position chord . In C major 'C' is at the bottom, 'E' is a third above it and 'G' is a fith above it.

In your example with chord v it is referring to the dominant chord.

Hope that makes some sense.

I is the tonic chord or 1
IV is the subdominant chord or 4
V is the dominant chord or 5

So in C Major:
I is made up of C E G
IV is made up of F A C
V is made up of G B D

The question you're being asked involves changing the inversion of the chord. This is signified by the letter after the chord. An a, or just a number on it's own means it's not inverted, so it is just the standard chord.

Ib means it's in first inversion, so the bass note is now the second note of the triad, so Ib in C Major would be
E G C

Ic means it's in second inversion, so the bass note is the third note of the triad, so Ic in C Major would be
G C E

The inversion can also be written as numbers
a can be written as 5 3
b can be written as 6 3
c can be written as 6 4

The question you're doing requires finding an Ic followed by a V. So you must find the key of the piece, and then look for where this occurs. I to V is an imperfect cadence - used to make something sound unfinished - so it's most likely to be in the middle of the piece.

Tell us what key's the piece in - then someone can say what to look out for in the bass note(s).

Once you've been shown one, they're dead easy. 6/4...5/3 is usually a cadence (very likely preparing for a perfect one with the chords you've given: Ic - Va).

Once upon a time, when lots of people learnt Latin and lots of clocks had Roman numerals instead of the ones we learn now, people learnt about Roman numerals. Now I guess they mostly don't. The Roman way of counting was quite peculiar.
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M = 1000

When a smaller number is to the left of a bigger one you take it away from the bigger one.
When a smaller number is to the right of a bigger one you add it to the bigger one.

Here are the numbers up to 12:
I
II
III
IV (or sometimes IIII) (5 take away 1)
V
VI (5 add 1)
VII
VIII
IX (10 take away 1)
X
XI (10 add 1)
XII

You might see a year on a tombstone or a building e.g.
MCMXXXIV = 1934 (1000 + 1000 take away 100 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 5 take away 1)!!

Using Roman numerals for chords is still common, and more useful in some contexts than others, so worth getting familiar with Roman 1-7.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for all your help
The pece is in B flat major
Ben

Ok then, what you're looking for in the bass is: two F's together (or one F tied under two chords)

Then check if the chords over them include the following (they may not be in this order):

D - - C
Bb - A
F - -F (bass)

This gives Ic - Va in B flat. You can see that (first chord) the D is 6th above the F, the Bb is 4th above the F, so... 6/4. The second chord is a root position 3rd and 5th above bass note so 5/3.

You rarely see 5/3 in a figured bass - it's assumed if no figures are given.

Does that help?

can I just ask something? If the chord was C major for example, then why would the G be in the bass? Wouldn't it be the C? I'm in the process of grade 5 theory and I'm still learning!

Each chord can be in 3 different inversions, but will still always contain C E and G.

There is no inversion, notated as 5/3, and the C will be in the bass.
There is first inversion, notated as 6/3, and the E will be in the bass (but it is NOT an E chord)
There is second inversion, notated as 6/4, and the G will be in the bass (not a G chord)

They are used to add interest and to allow smoother transitions from one chord to another.

Hope this helps

G would be in the bass because the chord I is in 2nd inversion (Ic or 6-4).

In C major, chord I is CEG in root position, so it is EGC in 1st inversion and GCE in 2nd inversion. The G is the bottom note.

Chord V in root position is GBD - G in the bass again.

Ok got it thanks
What is an inversion?

Dictionary definition: A rearrangement of tones in which the notes of a chord are rearranged such that the bass has a different pitch.

Put in simpler terms, it just means when you change the bass of a specific chord. If the tonic is in the bass it isn't inverted, and then first and second happen as above. The bass is the only thing that determines the inversion of a chord, the notes above can be in any order.

An inversion of a chord is when the root of the chord is not in the bass(or not the lowest note).

So with the chord of C major if C is the lowest note then it is in root position.
If E or G are the lowest then it is an inversion (as described above).

64 53 (Ic-V)

64 Ic means the Second Inversion of the Tonic chord.

53 V means the Root Position of the Dominant Chord.