A
chord progression (or
harmonic progression) is a series of musical
chordIn music and music theory a chord is a set of three or more different notes from a specific key that sound simultaneously. Chords constructed of three notes are described as triads and consist of two intervals. The technical name for triad chords is tertian sonorities and is understood to be chords...
s, or
chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing (or contradicting) a
tonalityTonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
founded on a
keyIn music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a certain key, such as in the key of C or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the key of...
, root or
tonicThe tonic is the first note of a musical scale in the tonal method of musical composition. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord. More generally, the tonic is the pitch upon which all other pitches of a piece are hierarchically referenced...
chord. Chords and chord theory are generally known as
harmonyIn music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches, or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
.
A chord progression can be thought of as a harmonic
simultaneity successionIn music and music theory a simultaneity succession is a series of different groups of pitches or pitch classes, each of which is played at the same time as the other pitches of its group...
: it offers an ongoing shift of level that is essential to the music of Europe (at least since 1600CE),
OceaniaOceania is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Dumont d'Urville...
and South/West Africa. A change of chord generally occurs on an
accentedIn music, an accent is an emphasis placed on a particular note,either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark.Accents contribute to the articulation and prosody of a performance of a musical phrase....
beatThe beat is the basic time unit of music, the pulse of the mensural level, also known as the beat level. However, since the term is in popular use, it often connotes the tempo of a piece or a particular sequence of individual beats, the meter, rhythm or groove...
, so that chord progressions may contribute significantly to the
rhythmRhythm is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events.-Rhythm in linguistics:...
, meter and
musical formThe term musical form is often loosely used to refer to particular musical genres or styles , which may be determined by factors such as harmonic language, typical rhythms, types of musical instrument used as well as historical and geographical origins...
of a piece, delineating
barsIn musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration. The word measure is heard more frequently in the U.S., while bar is used in other English-speaking countries, although musicians generally understand both usages...
,
phrasesA musical phrase is a unit of musical meter that has a complete musical sense of its own, built from figures, motifs, and cells and combining to form melodies, periods and larger sections. or the length in which a singer or instrumentalist can play in one breath.The term, like sentence, verse etc...
and
sectionsIn music, a section is "a complete, but not independent musical idea" . Types of sections include the introduction or intro, exposition, recapitulation, verse, chorus or refrain, conclusion, coda or outro, fadeout, bridge or interlude...
.
The basics
A chord may be built upon any note of a
musical scaleIn music, a scale is a group of musical notes collected in ascending and descending order, that provides material for or is used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical work including melody and/or harmony...
, therefore a seven-note scale allows seven basic chords, each degree of the scale becoming the "root" or "tonic" of its own chord. A chord built upon the note
A is an
A chord: however, since any progression may be played in any
keyIn music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a certain key, such as in the key of C or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the key of...
, the fundamentals of harmony are best grasped by numbering the chords according to the step of the scale they are built upon, upwards from the key-note. The structural meaning of a harmony depends exclusively upon the degree of the scale. (
See Diatonic functionA diatonic function, in tonal music theory, is the specific, recognized role of each of the 7 notes and their chords in relation to the key...
)
Any
major scaleIn music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, "...
gives three major
triadsIn music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:*the Root...
that together include, and so can harmonise, every note of that scale. They are based on the first,
fourthFourth can refer to:* ¼, one quarter* Fourth, the ordinal number following third-Music:* Perfect fourth in music theory* Augmented fourth or tritone* Subdominant, and the chord built on the subdominant* Fourth , an album by Soft Machine...
, and
fifthFifth is the ordinal form of the number five.Fifth may refer to:* Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "Taking the Fifth".* Fifth column - a political term* Fifth disease - a contagious rash that spreads in school aged children...
scale degrees (the
tonicThe tonic is the first note of a musical scale in the tonal method of musical composition. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord. More generally, the tonic is the pitch upon which all other pitches of a piece are hierarchically referenced...
,
subdominantIn music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance "below" the tonic as the dominant is above the tonic - in other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant. It is also the note immediately...
and
dominantIn music, the dominant is the fifth degree of a musical scale. The dominant has the role of creating instability that requires the tonic or goal-tone for release....
-
see three chord song).
The same scale also provides three
relative minorIn music, the relative minor of a particular major key is the key which has the same key signature but a different tonic, as opposed to parallel minor which shares the same tonic. For example, G major and E minor both have a single sharp in their key signature at F; therefore, E minor is the...
chords, one related to each of the three major chords. These are based upon the sixth, second and third degrees and stand in the same relationship to one another as do the three majors. Apart from these six common chords there will be one step of the scale that gives a
diminished chordA diminished triad chord is a triad consisting of a minor third and a diminished fifth above the root — if built on C, a diminished chord would have a C, an E and a G. It resembles a minor triad with a lowered fifth....
.
In addition, extra notes may be added to any chord. If these notes are also selected from the original scale the harmony remains diatonic. If new chromatic intervals are introduced then a change of scale or
modulationIn music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as well as add interest...
occurs, which may bring the sense of a change of tonal centre. This in turn may lead to a
resolutionResolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance to a consonance .Dissonance, resolution, and suspense can be used to create musical interest...
back to the original key, so that the entire sequence of chords helps create an extended
musical formThe term musical form is often loosely used to refer to particular musical genres or styles , which may be determined by factors such as harmonic language, typical rhythms, types of musical instrument used as well as historical and geographical origins...
.
Although all this allows for a large number of possible progressions (depending upon the length of the progression), in practice progressions are often limited to a few bars' length and certain progressions are favoured above others: there is a certain amount of fashion in this and a chord progression may even define an entire genre.
In western classical notation chords built on the scale are numbered with Roman numerals. A
D chord will be figured
I in the key of
D, for example, but
IV in the key of
A. Minor chords are signified by lower case Roman, so that
D minor in the key of
C would be written
ii. Other forms of
chord notationChord notation refers to the written notation for musical chords using chord symbols. Although these symbols are used occasionally in classical music, they are "universally used in jazz and popular music" to specify the harmony of compositions, usually inside lead sheets and fake books.- Chord...
have been devised, from
figured bassFigured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and nonchord tones, in relation to a bass note...
to the
chord chartA chord chart is a form of musical notation that in addition to writing out non-embellished melody, describes harmonic and rhythmic information. It is the most common form of notation used by professional session musicians playing jazz or popular music. It is intended primarily for a rhythm section...
. These usually allow or even require a certain amount of improvisation.
Simple progressions
Diatonic scales such as the
major and minorIn music, the adjectives major and minor can describe a scale, key, chord, or interval.For intervals, the terms refer to a difference in their relative width, major referring to notes somewhat further apart; the other terms are classifications based on the use of certain intervals, especially the...
scales lend themselves particularly well to the construction of common chords because they contain a large number of
perfect fifthThe perfect fifth is the musical interval between a note and the note seven semitones above it on the musical scale. For example, the note G lies a perfect fifth above C; D is a perfect fifth above G, C is a perfect fifth above F...
s. Such scales predominate in those regions where harmony is an essential part of music, as, for example, in the
common practice periodThe common practice period, in the history of European art music , spanning the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, lasted from about 1600 until about 1900.-General characteristics:...
of western classical music. On the other hand Arab and
IndianIndian music may refer to:*Music of India*Music of South Asia, the music of the Indian subcontinent*Native American music*Music of Central America, and in particular, of its indigenous peoples...
music, though they use diatonic scales, also have a number of non-diatonic scales available because the music has no chord changes: it remains always upon the key-chord, as does a certain amount of
hard rockHard rock or heavy rock is a sub-genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and psychedelic rock and is considerably harder than conventional rock music...
,
hip hopHip hop as a cultural movement "manifest in B-boying , graffiti writing, DJing and eMCeeing/rapping – is an artistic commitment to seize freedom from oppressive social conditions...
,
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
,
discoDisco is a genre of dance music that that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
,
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
etc.
The interchange of two chords may be thought of as the most basic chord progression and many well-known pieces are built harmonically upon the mere repetition of such a
cadenceCadence may refer to:In music:*Cadence , a melodic configuration or series of chords marking the end of a phrase, section, or piece of music*Cadenza, a long, unaccompanied, freely played, and sometimes improvised solo passage in a concerto...
, oscillating between two chords of the same scale. For example
Erik SatieÉric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Starting with his first composition in 1884, he signed his name as Erik Satie....
's first
GymnopédieThe Gymnopédies, published in Paris starting in 1888, are three piano compositions written by French composer and pianist Erik Satie.These short, atmospheric pieces are written in 3/4 time, with each sharing a common theme and structure...
for piano and the Velvet Underground's
Heroin"Heroin" is a song by The Velvet Underground, released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Written by Lou Reed in 1964, the song is one of the band's most celebrated compositions, overtly depicting heroin use and abuse...
are both built upon a repeated
I - IV, while
The Isley BrothersThe Isley Brothers are an African-American R&B, soul music and Funk group. They are one of the few groups to have long-running success on the Billboard charts placing a charted single in every decade since 1959 and as of 2006 were still charting successful albums performing under a repertoire of...
'
ShoutShout may refer to:* A form of vociferation* Shout, or ring shout, a religious dance originating among African slaves in the Americas* Shout-out* An Australian term referring to buying a round of drinks- Films and television :...
and
Bob MarleyRobert Nesta "Bob" Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers and Bob Marley & The Wailers...
and
King SportyKing Sporty is a Jamaican DJ, reggae musician, and record producer for the Tashamba and Konduko labels. He is best known for co-authoring the Bob Marley song, "Buffalo Soldier".-Biography:...
's
Buffalo Soldier"Buffalo Soldier" is a reggae song co-written by Bob Marley and Noel G. "King Sporty" Williams from Marley's final recording sessions in 1980. It did not appear on record until the 1983 posthumous release of Confrontation, when it became a big hit and one of Marley's best-known songs...
both use
I - vi. Much
ragtimeRagtime is an originally American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being...
and the more straightforward melodies of
classical musicClassical music is the mainstream music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times...
(e.g. the
Trumpet VoluntaryTrumpet Voluntary is the title of several English keyboard pieces from the Baroque era. Most commonly played on the organ , they generally consist of a slow introduction followed by a flamboyant faster section with the right hand playing fanfare-like figures over a simple accompaniment in the left...
) are built, mostly or entirely, upon chords
I and
V.
The three-chord trick
Three-chord tunes, though, are more common, since a melody may then dwell on any note of the scale. Often the chords may be selected to fit a pre-conceived melody, but just as often it is the progression itself that gives rise to the melody.
The three-chord
I - IV - V progression, a particularly popular kind of
circle progressionIn music, the circle progression is a chord progression named for the circle of fifths, along which it travels. It is, "undoubtedly the most common and the strongest of all harmonic progressions," and consists of, "adjacent roots in ascending fourth or descending fifth relationship," with movement...
(see below), can be placed into a four-bar phrase in several ways that have been put to endless use in popular music. Ottman gives examples of favoured progressions:
- I - IV - V - V. (The basis of Ritchie Valens
Richard Steven "Ritchie" Valenzuela , better known by the stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
' "La BambaLa Bamba may refer to:*La Bamba , a 1987 film based on the life and untimely death of Ritchie Valens*"La Bamba" , a folk song best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens...
", this progression also provides the refrainA refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
of Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet and painter who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was, at first, an informal chronicler and then an apparently reluctant figurehead of social unrest...
's "Like A Rolling Stone"Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American songwriter Bob Dylan. One of his best-known and most influential works, the song had its origin in an extended piece of verse which Dylan had written, before he recorded and released it in 1965....
" and John LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon, MBE was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter, author, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles...
's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song by English rock band The Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the group's 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band....
".)
- I - I - IV - V. (Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop
"My Boy Lollipop" is a song written in the mid-1950s and usually credited to Robert Spencer, Morris Levy and Johnny Roberts. It was originally recorded by the American singer Barbie Gaye and became a minor Rhythm & Blues hit in late 1956, spelled "My Boy Lollypop" on the original 78 record label...
" (usually credited to Robert Spencer, Morris LevyMorris Levy was an American music industry executive, who is best known as the owner of the record label Roulette Records...
, and Johnny Roberts), "Heartbeat"Heartbeat" is a rockabilly song written by Bob Montgomery and Norman Petty and recorded originally by Buddy Holly in 1958.-Hit versions:The last Buddy Holly single to be released during his lifetime, "Heartbeat" was only a minor hit in the US with a #82 Billboard Hot 100 peak.The song had more...
" (written by Bob MontgomeryBob Montgomery is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer/publisher.Montgomery was born in Lampasas, Texas. He was a songwriting partner and best friend of Buddy Holly, performing together as the duo "Buddy and Bob" while teenagers in high school...
and Norman PettyNorman Petty was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer of the Southwest who helped shape modern popular music, including pop and rock....
for Buddy HollyCharles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
), The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup...
' "Get Off Of My Cloud"Get Off of My Cloud" is a song by the British rock band The Rolling Stones. It was written as a follow-up single to the successful " Satisfaction". The song topped the charts in the U.S. and the UK in the weeks following its release in November 1965.Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the...
" (refrain), Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", Van MorrisonVan Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime...
's "Madame George"Madame George" is a ten-minute song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It appears on the album Astral Weeks, released in 1968. The song features Morrison performing the vocals and acoustic guitar...
"...)
- I - IV - I - V. (Common in Elizabethan music (Scholes 1977), this also underpins the American college song "Goodnight Ladies", Solomon Linda
Solomon Popoli Linda was a South African Zulu musician, singer and composer who wrote the song "Mbube" which later became the pop hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and gave its name to a style of isicathamiya a cappella popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.- Early years :Solomon Popoli Linda was...
's "Mbube"/"Wimoweh"/"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is an acclaimed song sung by The Tokens and written as Mbube by Solomon Linda.-History:"Mbube" was first recorded by its writer, Solomon Linda, and his group, The Evening Birds, in 1939. Gallo Record Company paid Linda a single fee for the recording and no royalties...
" and Desmond DekkerDesmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer–songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"...
's "Pickney Gal" among many others.)
- I - IV - V - IV. (The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are an African-American R&B, soul music and Funk group. They are one of the few groups to have long-running success on the Billboard charts placing a charted single in every decade since 1959 and as of 2006 were still charting successful albums performing under a repertoire of...
' "Twist and Shout"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles, with John Lennon on the lead vocals, and originally released on their first album, Please Please Me...
", Chip TaylorChip Taylor is the stage name of American songwriter James Wesley Voight noted for writing the song, "Wild Thing". Taylor's brothers are actor Jon Voight and geologist Barry Voight. He is the uncle of actress Angelina Jolie and actor James Haven.- Early career :Taylor attended Archbishop Stepinac...
/The TroggsThe Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in Britain and the USA, including their most famous song, "Wild Thing". The Troggs were from the town of Andover in southern England...
' "Wild ThingWild Thing or Wild Things can refer to:In entertainment:* "Wild Thing" , a 1965 song that was a hit for The Troggs* "Wild Thing" , a 1989 song by rapper Tone Lōc...
" etc.)
This basic harmonic pattern occurs in many other pop songs—the output of
Phil SpectorHarvey Philip "Phil" Spector is an American pioneering record producer and songwriter who was convicted of murder in 2009....
might also be cited. Similar progressions abound in
African popular musicAfrican popular music, like African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. Many genres of popular music like blues, jazz, salsa and rumba derive to varying degrees on musical traditions from...
. They may be varied by the addition of sevenths etc. to any chord or by the substitution of the relative minor of the
IV chord to give
I - ii - V. This last is heard, for example, in
The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of cars, surfing, and romance...
' "
Good Vibrations"Good Vibrations" is a pop single by The Beach Boys. The song was composed by and produced by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Wilson and Mike Love....
" (
"Got to keep those...."). This sequence, using the chord based on the second scale degree, is also used
cadentiallyCadence may refer to:In music:*Cadence , a melodic configuration or series of chords marking the end of a phrase, section, or piece of music*Cadenza, a long, unaccompanied, freely played, and sometimes improvised solo passage in a concerto...
in a common chord progression of
jazz harmonyJazz harmony is the harmonic idiom or harmonies used in jazz. It is a part of Western harmonic practice and similarities between jazz harmony and traditional harmony include: notational techniques , many chord progressions, and the incorporation of many musical scales...
, the so-called ii-V-I turnaround, on which are based the more ornate
Coltrane changesIn jazz harmony, the Coltrane changes are a harmonic progression variation using substitute chords over common jazz chord progressions. These substitution patterns were first demonstrated by jazz musician John Coltrane on the album Blue Train on the tunes "Lazy Bird" and "Moment's Notice"...
.
Such progressions provide the entire harmonic foundation of much African and American popular music, and they occur sectionally in many pieces of classical music (such as the opening bars of Beethoven's
Pastoral Symphony). It should already be clear that these progressions may be
transposedIn music transposition refers to the process of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval. For example, one might transpose an entire piece of music into another key. Similarly, one might transpose a tone row or an unordered collection of pitches such as a chord so...
into any key so that, for instance, the progression
I - IV - V in the key of
A will be played
A - D - E, while in the key of
C the chords will be
C - F - G.
Where such a simple sequence does not represent the entire harmonic structure of a piece, it may readily be extended for greater variety. Frequently an opening phrase of the type
I - IV - V - V, which ends on an
unresolvedResolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance to a consonance .Dissonance, resolution, and suspense can be used to create musical interest...
dominantIn music, the dominant is the fifth degree of a musical scale. The dominant has the role of creating instability that requires the tonic or goal-tone for release....
, may be "answered" by a similar version that resolves back onto the home chord, giving a structure of double the length:
- I - IV - V - V
- I - IV - V - I
Additionally, such a passage may be alternated with a different progression to give a simple
binaryBinary form is a way of structuring a piece of music in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance....
or
ternary formTernary form is a three-part A–B–A structure in a piece of music. The first and third parts are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part contrasts sharply with it. The B section is often known as a trio....
such as that of the popular
thirty-two-bar formThe thirty-two-bar form, often called AABA from the musical form or order in which its melodies occur, is common in Tin Pan Alley songs and later popular music including rock, pop and jazz...
(see
musical formThe term musical form is often loosely used to refer to particular musical genres or styles , which may be determined by factors such as harmonic language, typical rhythms, types of musical instrument used as well as historical and geographical origins...
).
Blues changes
The
twelve bar bluesThe 12-bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in popular music, including the blues. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics and phrase and chord structure and duration...
and its many variants use an elongated, three-line form of the
I - IV - V progression that has also generated countless hit records, including the most significant output of
rock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
ers such as
Chuck BerryCharles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
and
Little RichardRichard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and recording artist, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s...
. In its most elementary form (there are many variants) the chords progress as follows:
- I - I - I - I
- IV - IV - I - I
- V - V - I - I
Again, blues progressions have formed the entire harmonic basis of many recorded songs but may also be confined to a single section of a more elaborate form, as frequently with The Beatles in such songs as "
You Can't Do That"You Can't Do That" is a song written by John Lennon and released by The Beatles as the b-side of their sixth UK single "Can't Buy Me Love".-Composition:...
", "
I Feel Fine"I Feel Fine" is a riff-driven rock song mainly written by John Lennon and released in 1964 by The Beatles as the A side of their eighth UK single. The song reached the top of the UK charts on 12 December of that year, displacing The Rolling Stones' "Little Red Rooster," and remained there for...
", and "
She's A Woman"She's a Woman" is a song by The Beatles. It was released as the B-side to "I Feel Fine" in 1964, their last single release that year. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 from frequent airplay.-Composition:...
". They have also been subjected to densely chromatic elaboration, as in the work of
Charlie ParkerCharles Parker, Jr. was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.Parker, with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, is often considered one of the most influential of jazz musicians...
.
Steedman (1984) proposed that a set of recursive "rewrite rules" generate all
well-formedWell-formed may refer to:* Well-formed element, an element in webpage design; see also well-formed XML* Well-formed formula, a string that is generated by a formal grammar in logic* Well-formed outcome, a Neuro-Linguistic Programming concept...
transformationIn music, a transformation consists of any operation or process that a composer, performer, or analyst may apply to a musical variable . Transformations include multiplication, rotation, permutation , and combinations thereof....
s of jazz, both basic blues chord changes and slightly modified sequences (such as the "
rhythm changesIn jazz and jazz harmony, rhythm changes is a modified form of the chord progression of George Gershwin's song "I Got Rhythm", which forms the basis of countless jazz compositions...
"). Important transformations include:
- replacement of (or addition to) a chord with its dominant, subdominant or the tritone substitution
In music, a tritone substitution is the chord substitution of a chord a tritone away from the original. It is the use in a chord progression of a V7 that is three whole steps away from the original V7; using simpler analytic music notation it is: replacing V7 for bV7/V = bII7...
.
- use of chromatic passing chords.
- extensively applying the ii-V-I turnaround.
- chord alterations such as minor chords, diminished sevenths, etc.
Shang-a-lang-lang (Oo-ee-oo-ee)
Another common way of extending the
I - IV - V sequence is by adding the chord of the sixth scale degree, giving the sequence
I - vi - IV - V or
I - vi - ii - V, sometimes called the
50s progressionThe 50s progression is a chord progression used in Western popular music. As the name implies, it was common in the 1950s and early 1960s and is particularly associated with doo-wop...
.
In fact this sequence had been in use from the earliest days of classical music, but after generating popular hits such as Rogers and Hart's "
Blue Moon"Blue Moon" is a classic popular song. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, and has become a standard ballad.-Lyrics:The lyrics presumably refer to an English idiomatic expression: "once in a blue moon" means very rarely...
" (1934),
Jerome KernJerome David Kern was an American composer of popular music. He wrote around 700 songs, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A Fine Romance", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "All the Things You Are", "The Way You Look Tonight", and "Who?", a 6-week number 1 hit for...
and
Dorothy FieldsDorothy Fields was an American librettist and lyricist.She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films...
' 1936 "
The Way You Look Tonight"The Way You Look Tonight" is a song featured in the film Swing Time, originally performed by Fred Astaire. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. The song was written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Fields later remarked, "The first time Jerry played that melody for...
" and "
Heart and Soul"Heart and Soul" is a popular song, with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Frank Loesser, published in 1938. The original 1938 version was performed by Larry Clinton & his Orchestra featuring Bea Wain....
" (composed by
Hoagy CarmichaelHoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust" , "Georgia On My Mind," and "Heart and Soul", three of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the American popular song,...
in 1938), it became associated with the black American vocal groups of the 1940s,
The Ink SpotsThe Ink Spots were a popular African American vocal group that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm & blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop...
and The Mills Brothers ("
Till Then"Till Then" is a popular song written by Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, and Guy Wood and published in 1944.The song was a plea to his sweetheart to wait for him until he could get back home...
"), and thus later became the entire basis of the 1950s
doo-wopDoo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music, which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. An African-American vocal style known as doo-wop emerged from the streets of northeastern and industrial midwest...
genre, a typical example being
The MonotonesThe Monotones were a six-member African American "doo wop" vocal group in the 1950s. They are considered a "one-hit wonder," as their only hit song was " The Book of Love", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1958....
' "
The Book of Love"The Book of Love" was a rock and roll song, originally by The Monotones. It was written by three members of the group, Warren Davis, George Malone and Charles Patrick, and it peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.Lead singer Charles Patrick heard a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial with the line...
".
Taken up into the pop mainstream, for example with
Felice and Boudleaux BryantFelice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant were an American wife and husband country music songwriting team who were also at the forefront of the evolution of pop music...
's "
All I Have to Do Is Dream"All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a popular song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by the legendary husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958...
", a hit for
The Everly BrothersThe Everly Brothers are brothers and country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing. The Everlys are the most successful U.S...
, in the 1960s it continued to generate records as otherwise disparate as
The Paris SistersThe Paris Sisters were an American girl group from San Francisco, California.They are best remembered for two U.S...
' "I Love How You Love Me" (written by
MannBarry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a rock music songwriting partnership.-Career:...
and Kolber) and Boris Pickett's "
Monster Mash"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in October 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes...
".
It continued to be used sectionally, as in the refrain of The Beatles' "Girl", and also to form the harmonic basis of further new songs for decades ("
Every Breath You Take"Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting. The single was one of the biggest of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the Billboard Top Tracks chart for...
" by The Police, "
Don't Get Me Wrong"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song released by the pop-rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987....
" by
The PretendersThe Pretenders are a British rock band. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
).
Circle progressions
Introducing the
ii chord into these progressions emphasises their appeal as constituting elementary forms of
circle progressionIn music, the circle progression is a chord progression named for the circle of fifths, along which it travels. It is, "undoubtedly the most common and the strongest of all harmonic progressions," and consists of, "adjacent roots in ascending fourth or descending fifth relationship," with movement...
. These, named for the
circle of fifthsIn music theory, the circle of fifths shows the relationships among the twelve tones of the chromatic scale, their corresponding key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys. More specifically, it is a geometrical representation of relationships among the 12 pitch classes of the...
, consist of "adjacent roots in ascending fourth or descending fifth relationship,"—for instance, the sequence
VI - ii - V - I ascends to the fourth note above each time (returning to
I after
VII). Such a motion, based upon close harmonic relations, offers "undoubtedly the most common and the strongest of all harmonic progressions". The succession of cadences gives an impression of inevitable return to the key-note of the piece.
Short cyclical progressions may be derived by selecting a sequence of chords from the series completing a circle from the tonic through all seven diatonic chords:
- I - IV - viio - iii - vi - ii - V - I (in major)
- I - V - I
- I - IV - V - I
This felicitous type of progression was much used by classical composers, who introduced increasingly subtle inflections. Particularly, substitution of major for minor chords giving, for example,
I - VI - II - V allowed a more sophisticated
chromaticismIn music, chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...
as well as the possibility of
modulationIn music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as well as add interest...
. These harmonic conventions were taken up by American popular entertainers, giving rise to many variations on those harmonic staples of early
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
that have been dubbed the
ragtime progressionThe ragtime progression is a chord progression typical of ragtime music and parlour music genres though its use originated in classical music and spread to American folk music:* and its close variants...
and the
stomp progressionIn music and jazz harmony, the Stomp progression is an eight bar chord progression named for its use in the first strain of the composition "King Porter Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton, later arranged by Fletcher Henderson...
. All such progressions may be found used sectionally, as for example in the much-used "
rhythm changesIn jazz and jazz harmony, rhythm changes is a modified form of the chord progression of George Gershwin's song "I Got Rhythm", which forms the basis of countless jazz compositions...
" of
George GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are universally familiar....
's "
I Got Rhythm"I Got Rhythm" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, published in 1930, which became a widely-known jazz standard...
".
Harmonizing the scale
As well as the cyclical underpinning of chords, the ear tends to respond well to a linear thread; chords following the scale upwards or downwards. In the 17th CCE descending bass-lines found favor for
"divisionDivision in music refers to a type of ornamentation or variation common in 17th century English music in which each note of a melodic line is "divided" into several shorter, faster-moving notes, often by a rhythmic repetition of a simple musical device such as the trill, turn or cambiata on each...
s on the ground", so that Pachelbel's canon, the Bach orchestral suites (the famous
Air on a G String), and
HandelHANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's organ concerti all contain very similar harmonisations of the descending major scale. When this was reintroduced into mid-20th century pop music, it brought with it many baroque trappings (The Beatles' "
For No One"For No One" is a song written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver. A ballad about the end of a relationship, it is one of McCartney's most mature and poignant works to date...
",
Procol HarumProcol Harum are a British rock band, formed in the 1960s, who contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock...
's "
A Whiter Shade of Pale"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967, and stayed there for six weeks.-Song profile:...
", and The Steve Miller Band's "Dear Mary" and "Baby's House").
At its simplest, this descending sequence may simply introduce an extra chord, either
III or
V, into the
I - VI - IV - V type of sequence described above. This chord allows the harmonisation of the seventh step, and so of the bassline
I - VII - VI.... This strategy underlies
Percy SledgePercy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer.-Early career:Percy Sledge worked in a series of blue-collar jobs in the fields in Leighton, Alabama before taking a job as an orderly at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama...
's "
When A Man Loves A WomanWhen a Man Loves a Woman may refer to:* "When a Man Loves a Woman" , also covered by Michael Bolton* "When a Man Loves a Woman" * When a Man Loves a Woman...
" and Bob Marley's "
No Woman, No Cry"No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley. The song first became known in 1974 through the studio album Natty Dread. The live version from the 1975 album Live! is perhaps best known — it was this version which was released on the greatest hits compilation Legend.The song was No...
". The baroque examples descend for an octave, while "
A Whiter Shade of Pale"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967, and stayed there for six weeks.-Song profile:...
" manages a stately two octaves, before "turning around" through the dominant chord to re-commence upon the key-note.
Ascending major progressions are not as common but many exist: the verse of "Like a Rolling Stone" ascends by steps to the fifth,
I-ii-iii-IV-V before descending again to the key-note,
IV - iii - ii - I—the latter being another common type of harmonisation of a descending major scale.
The Four PenniesThe Four Pennies were an English, 1960s pop group, most notable for their 1964 UK chart topping song, "Juliet". The group's name came after a meeting above the Blackburn music shop owned by Mary Reidy, the shop being situated on 'Penny Street' where it is still located today as 'Reidy's Home of...
' hit "
Juliet"Juliet" is a pop song made famous by the band The Four Pennies. The track was recorded in 1964.-History:"Juliet" was released as a single in the UK in February 1964 on the Philips label...
" and The Beatles' "
Here, There and Everywhere"Here, There and Everywhere" is a song written primarily by Paul McCartney , recorded for the Beatles 1966 album Revolver. In his biography Many Years From Now, McCartney said the song is one of his favourites. Beatles' producer George Martin has also mentioned it as one of his favourite McCartney...
" both use similar ascending progressions.
The descending
chromatic scale has also formed the basis of many progressions, from the "Crucifixus" of Bach's B Minor Mass, through Beethoven's
Thirty-two Piano Variations32 Variations in C minor, WoO. 80, is one of the solo piano works of Ludwig van Beethoven. It was composed 1806.-Analysis:The work consists of an eight-bar main theme and 32 variations. A chord progression in the left hand, based upon a descending chromatic bass, serves as an important...
, to songs such as Bob Dylan's "
Simple Twist of Fate"Simple Twist of Fate" is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his 15th studio album Blood on the Tracks in 1975.It was first covered by Joan Baez on Diamonds & Rust , and has been reinterpreted by several artists since: by the Jerry Garcia Band on their 2-disc live album Jerry Garcia Band , by...
",
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison MBE was an English rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian mysticism, and helped broaden the horizons of the other Beatles, as well as...
's "Something" and
Lucio BattistiLucio Battisti was an Italian singer-songwriter. He is considered to be one of the best and most influential musicians and authors in Italian pop/rock music history....
's "Paradiso", a hit for
Amen CornerAmen corner is officially defined as "that part of a meeting-house occupied by persons who assist the preacher with occasional and irregular responses" or "a conspicuous corner in a church occupied by fervent worshipers"...
when translated as "
(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" Half as Nice" is a popular single by Amen Corner.Originally written by the Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti for La Ragazza 77, alias Ambra Borelli, in 1968 as "Il paradiso della vita" , and later in 1969 for Patty Pravo as "Il Paradiso" , it was translated into English by Jack Fishman...
".
Minor and modal progressions
Needless to say, similar strategies to all the above work equally well in minor modes: there have been one-, two- and three-minor-chord songs, minor blues from the time of
Benny GoodmanBenjamin David Goodman was an American jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman"....
("
Why Don't You Do Right?"Why Don't You Do Right?" is an American blues standard and jazz standard written in 1936 by Kansas Joe McCoy. It is a twelve-bar blues written in a minor key and is considered a classic "woman's blues."-Composition:...
") to
The DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger. They are considered a controversial and influential band, due mostly to Morrison's cryptic lyrics and unpredictable...
("
Riders On The Storm"Riders on the Storm" is a song by The Doors from their 1971 album, L.A. Woman; it reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, number 22 on the UK singles charts, and number 7 in the Netherlands...
"). A notable example of a descending minor chord progression is the four-chord "
MalagueñaOriginally the sixth movement of the Suite Andalucia by Ernesto Lecuona, who also provided it with Spanish lyrics, the song "Malagueña" has since become a popular, jazz, marching band, and drum corps standard and has been provided with lyrics in several languages.-Notable vocal performances:A...
" sequence,
i -
VII -
VI -
V, which appears in
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
' "Hit the Road, Jack", the verse of "Good Vibrations", the instrumental section of
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "
Moonage Daydream"Moonage Daydream" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 and first released as a single under the name Arnold Corns. A rerecorded version was released in 1972 on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars....
", etc. Similar descending minor sequences are heard in
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
's version of Bob Dylan's "
All Along the Watchtower"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It initially appeared on his album John Wesley Harding...
",
Dire StraitsDire Straits were a British rock band, active between 1977 and 1995. The band was formed by Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers , and managed by Ed Bicknell...
' "
Sultans of Swing"Sultans of Swing" was the first single release of the British rock band Dire Straits.It was first recorded as a demo at Pathway Studios, North London, and quickly acquired a following after it was put on rotation at Radio London. It did not take long for its popularity to reach record executives,...
" and
Neil YoungNeil Percival Young, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1995 and also as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997....
's "
Southern Man"Southern Man" is a song by Neil Young from his album After the Gold Rush. The album was released in 1970.The lyrics of "Southern Man" are vivid, describing the racism towards blacks in the American South. In the song, Young tells the story of a Southern man and how he mistreated his slaves...
".
The minor-third step from a minor keynote up to the relative major encouraged ascending scale progressions, particularly based on an ascending
pentatonic scaleA pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale. Pentatonic scales are very common and are found all over the world, including Celtic folk music, Hungarian folk music, West African music, African-American spirituals,...
. This is audible in Huddie Ledbetter's "Black Girl" and was taken up into the British pop of the sixties with such recordings as
The AnimalsThe Animals were an English music group of the 1960s known in the United States as part of the British Invasion. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon, as exemplified by their signature songs "The House of the Rising Sun" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", the...
' version of the traditional "
The House of the Rising Sun"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans. Depending on the version, the song may be sung from the perspective of a woman or a man...
" and
Graham GouldmanGraham Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-1960s pop career: 1963-1968:...
/
The YardbirdsThe Yardbirds are an English rock band, notable for starting the careers of three of rock's more famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, all of whom were in the top fifteen of Rolling Stones' 100 Top Guitarists list...
' "
For Your LoveFor Your Love is the first U.S. album by English blues rock band The Yardbirds, released in August 1965. As a compilation of previous Yardbirds singles, it was only released in the U.S. , where it peaked at #96 on the charts...
". Typical of the type is the sequence
i -
III -
IV (or iv) -
VI.
Folk and blues tunes frequently use the Mixolydian scale, which has a flat seventh degree, altering the position of the three major chords to
I -
Flat VII-
IV. For example, if the major scale of C, which gives the three chords C, F and G on the first, fourth and fifth degrees, is played with G as the tonic, then the same chords will now appear on the first, fourth and seventh degrees. These "Mixolydian" harmonies also appeared in the pop music of the 1960s, notably with The Beatles' album
Help!Help! is the fifth UK and ninth US album by The Beatles, and the soundtrack from their film of the same name. Produced by George Martin for EMI's Parlophone Records, it contains fourteen songs, of which seven appeared in the film Help! .In 2003, the album was ranked number 332 on Rolling...
and The Rolling Stones'
Beggar's Banquet.
In heavy rock this type of "modal" sequence was applied with major chords, thus introducing extra dissonant notes into the music. This probably came about because of the similarity of the
blues scaleThe term blues scale is used to describe a few scales with differing number of pitches and related characteristics.The hexatonic, or six note, blues scale consists of the minor pentatonic scale plus the 4 or 5 degree...
to
modal scalesMode is a term from Western music theory having three definitions :# the rhythmic relationship between long and short values in the late medieval period;...
and the characteristics of the guitar when played with simple chord-shapes—the trend is also linked to the rise in the use of power chords. Progressions of the general type
I -
Flat III -
IV are audible, for example, in
Deep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorise themselves as any one genre. The band...
's "
Smoke on the Water"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head.-Composition:...
" and
Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British/American rock band formed in 1967 in London, England.The only member present in the band from the very beginning is its namesake drummer Mick Fleetwood...
's "Green Manalishi".
See also
- Chromatic mediants
Chromatic mediants, or a chromatic mediant relationship is a relationship between two chords whose roots are related by a major third or minor third, contain one common tone, and share the same quality, i.e. major or minor...
- Ragtime progression
The ragtime progression is a chord progression typical of ragtime music and parlour music genres though its use originated in classical music and spread to American folk music:* and its close variants...
- Sixteen bar blues
- Coltrane changes
In jazz harmony, the Coltrane changes are a harmonic progression variation using substitute chords over common jazz chord progressions. These substitution patterns were first demonstrated by jazz musician John Coltrane on the album Blue Train on the tunes "Lazy Bird" and "Moment's Notice"...
- Passamezzo moderno
The Gregory Walker or passamezzo moderno was "one of the most popular harmonic formulae in the Renaissance period, divides into two complementary strains thus:"...
- Chord chart
A chord chart is a form of musical notation that in addition to writing out non-embellished melody, describes harmonic and rhythmic information. It is the most common form of notation used by professional session musicians playing jazz or popular music. It is intended primarily for a rhythm section...
- Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
- Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches, or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
- Functional harmony
The term functional harmony derives from Hugo Riemann and his textbooks on harmony in the late 19th century, with roots back to Jean-Philippe Rameau's theoretical works amongst others. His main idea was to create a comprehensive theoretical basis for understanding the principles of harmonic...
- Ear training
Ear training or aural skills is a process by which musicians learn to identify intervals, chords, rhythms, and other basic elements of music. Ear training plays an important part in singing, since one must be able to hear music in one's head and match pitch before it is possible to sing it reliably...
- Sensitive Female Chord Progression
The Sensitive Female Chord Progression, named by Boston Globe Columnist [Marc Hirsh], is the chord progression A minor, F, C, G. It can also be generically described as vi-IV-I-V. Or, the minor six, major four, major one, major five in the key of C....
Further reading
- Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). "Studying Popular Music". Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0-335-15275-9.
- Nettles, Barrie & Graf, Richard (1997). The Chord Scale Theory and Jazz Harmony. Advance Music, ISBN 389221056X. Discusses how chord progressions work in relation to musical phrases.
External links