Hello everyone! I have a question and I'm not sure which topic to put it in, This is the closest thing I could find! I'm analyzing a piece, and I'm placing roman numerals under the score to serve as the grades of the scale, but what symbol can I use for a chord that is half a tone lower... Sorry, I'm having trouble explaining this as english isn't my forte. It's like a Neapolitan sixth, just with out the seventh of the chord, so I would put II meaning the second degree major, but what symbol can I use to show that it's half a tone lower. The scale is A minor, and the chords id a Bb major.

Hmm. If you could site the piece and measure (if it is pretty common work) then maybe I could help further. Are you sure there hasn't already been a modulation away from A Minor? Certainly we don't find Bbs in the key of A Minor. However, F major and D minor are closely related keys that the work may have already modulated to. Who is the composer? The era and style also help define the limits of functional tonality versus non-functional tonality. You may be onto a Neoplolitan chord, but that is usually in first inversion: bII6 or N6. This functions as a substitue for a subdominant (IV) or supertonic in first inversion (II6), preparing for the dominant.

Could you not just put a flat or a sharp symbol before the numeral to indicate the adjustment. That is if it's a passing chord. If you can establish that there is actually a transitory modulation to another key you should indicate that.