Chord VI – Submediant
The chord built up from the 6th degree of the scale, or submediant note, is called the submediant triad; chord VI or vi.
The submediant triad is made up of the 6th, 1st and 3rd notes of the major or harmonic minor scale.
The submediant triad in C major contains the notes A, C and E.
The submediant triad in a major key is a minor triad, because the interval between the lowest note and the middle note is a minor third. It is also the same chord as the relative minor tonic chord. In C major the relative minor key is A minor – these keys share a key signature, and chord vi in C major is A minor. Minor chords are normally written in lower case letters.
The submediant triad in A minor contains the notes F, A and C.
The submediant triad in a minor key is a major triad, because the interval between the lowest note and the middle note is a major third.
Chord VI is a secondary chord. Chord VI can be followed by most chords, but does not normally move straight to chord I.
Here is an example of chord vi used in the key of F major, from the Anglican hymn “Glory be to God on High”. The first submediant chord moves to Gm, the supertonic chord, and the second one moves to Bb major, the subdominant.
