Neapolitan sixth chord
A major triad on the lowered second degree, usually in first inversion, so with the third in the bass. In the cadence it takes the place where the subdominant would normally be, and clouds the sound immediately before the dominant.
- Construction
- major triad on ♭II, first inversion
- In A minor
- B♭ major with D in the bass: D–F–B♭
- Numeral
- ♭II⁶ (or N⁶)
- Figured bass
- 6
- Usually before
- the dominant
What makes the Neapolitan
The Neapolitan sixth chord arises when you build a major triad on the lowered second degree of a key and put it in first inversion. In A minor the second degree is B; lowered, it becomes B♭. The triad B♭–D–F has D in the bass. The third in the bass makes it a sixth chord.
The sound itself: B♭ major in root position and as a sixth chord (the Neapolitan in A minor)
On the left the major triad on B♭ (B♭–D–F), the lowered second degree of A minor. On the right the same notes with D at the bottom: that is the sixth chord. Above the bass D lie a minor third (F) and a minor sixth (B♭), and the sixth gives the chord its name.
The voice leading: upper voices in the treble clef
The marked chord is the Neapolitan. From the first to the second chord all three upper voices move down: E to D, C to B♭, A to F. In the next step the B♭ falls a diminished third to G♯, the leading tone, while the D stays as the seventh of the dominant.
The bass to go with it: bass clef
The bass goes from A via D and E back to A. The D is the third of the Neapolitan, the E the dominant.
In the glossary: Six-three chord · Chord inversion · Augmented sixth chord
How it sounds and where it leads
In the cadence the Neapolitan takes the place of the subdominant. It prepares the dominant, often with a cadential six-four in between. The effect is a sudden clouding shortly before the close, because a note appears that the scale does not contain.
The decisive voice is the lowered note, here B♭. It is as a rule led on downwards, in the example directly to G♯, the leading tone of the dominant. Between B♭ and G♯ lies a diminished third, an interval that gives the progression its peculiar colour. Its effect rests on a flattened note striving downwards to the leading tone.
In functional theory it is mostly read as the minor subdominant with a minor sixth instead of the fifth. Roman numeral notation gives it as ♭II.
| Key | Neapolitan | Sixth chord (from the bottom) |
|---|---|---|
| A minor | B♭ major B♭–D–F | D–F–B♭ |
| E minor | F major F–A–C | A–C–F |
| B minor | C major C–E–G | E–G–C |
| D minor | E♭ major E♭–G–B♭ | G–B♭–E♭ |
| G minor | A♭ major A♭–C–E♭ | C–E♭–A♭ |
| C minor | D♭ major D♭–F–A♭ | F–A♭–D♭ |
Name and origin
The name recalls the Neapolitan school of opera of the 18th century, in whose circle the progression is frequent. It was not invented there; it is found earlier. It counts as a classic means of darkening a minor close.
Distinctions
- Phrygian sound: it also contains the lowered second degree. There, however, it belongs to the scale and does not prepare a dominant. More under Phrygian cadence.
- Augmented sixth chord: also a sixth chord before the dominant, but with altered notes and the augmented sixth above the bass.
- Neapolitan in major: it occurs there too and sounds even stranger, because the scale lies even further away.
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Related terms
Six-three chordAugmented sixth chordSix-four chordPhrygian cadenceCadenceDominantSubdominantChord inversion
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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