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A Picardy third, (/ ˈ p ɪ k ər d i /; French: tierce picarde) also known as a Picardy cadence or Tierce de Picardie, is a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key.
A Picardy Third is a musical term that refers to the use of a major chord at the end of a piece of music that is otherwise in a minor key. This unexpected resolution to a major chord creates a sense of brightness and uplift, contrasting with the somber mood typically associated with minor keys.
Pieces of music composed in a minor key sometimes end on a major tonic chord, and this was particularly common in the Baroque era (c. 1600-1750). A major chord used at a final cadence is called a “Tierce de Picardie” or “Picardy Third”. It can be used with either a perfect or plagal cadence.
The definition of a Picardy 3rd is to move that minor 3 to major at the end of a piece as funky resolve to major. However where as when in the middle of a song I think it can have a similar resolving effect. Anybody here know much about the Picardy 3rd.
Which is a good reason for using a Picardy third, is it not? The minor third appears just after the major third. When does it appear? P5 appears as the 6th harmonic, and M3 as the 5th. (edit: miscounted) The root (fundamental) of the major third is the bottom note, while the root of the minor third is a major third below the bottom note.
While the Picardy 3rd (the major third above the tonic) was most commonly encountered in the Baroque era, it has been used from then until now, though with less frequency.
What is a Picardy Third? A Picardy Third (or Tierce de Picardie) is where a major chord is written as the final chord of a piece that has mostly been in the minor key. This is achieved very simply by raising the minor 3rd of the expected minor chord by a semitone to create a major 3rd.
