Use Chord Progressions when Writing Music Chord progr progressio essions ns are the patterns that music composers use to put musical notes and chords together. When you write music, chord progressions are cr itical in writing songs that sound harmonious and ha ve the desired tones. If you look at Western harmonic music, you can see patterns e merge in the ways chord progressions are bu ilt. It It is possible for any one chord to progress to any one of the other chords in a key key;; however, certain chord progressions are are used more frequently frequently than others. Why? Because Beca use they just sound better. These natural patterns are pleasing to listeners and c omposers alike, and therefore they appear ap pear in popular music, classical, rock, jazz, and so on. Music theorists have taken note of those patterns and come up with a set of "rules" concerning concernin g chord progressions. These "rules" are immensely helpful in in songwriting. The The following tables show common chord progressions for major and mi mino norr chord chordss, along with the corresponding chord names for key of C major and C minor. Uppercase Roman numerals represent maj major or cho chords rds;; lowercase Roman numerals represent minor and diminished chords. Common Major Key Chord Progressions Chord Chord Chord Chord in C Major Scale
Leads to
I
C
Can appear anywhe re and lea d a nywhere
ii
Dm
V or vii° c hords
iii
Em
IV or vi chords
IV
F
ii, V, or vii° chords
V
G
vi chords
vi
Am
ii, iii, IV, or V c hords
vii°
B°
I chord
Because minor scales offer some flexibility in the sixth and seventh notes of the scale, you have more chord possibilities to account for. For example, examp le, in a C na natur tural al mi mino norr scal calee, the chord built on the seventh note would be Bb major, but if you're writing in the ha harmoni rmonicc mi minor nor scal calee, that seventh chord would be a diminished B chord (B°). The parentheses around some of the chords indicate less commonly used chords, but they are still acceptable and they would work in the progression pro gression.. Common Minor Key Chord Progressions Chord
Chord in C Mi nor Sc ale
Leads to
i c hords
Cm
Can appear anywhe re and lea d a nywhere
ii° (ii) c hords
D° (Dm)
V(v) or vii° (VII) chords
III (III+) c hords Eb (Eb a ug)
iv (IV), VI (#vi°), or vii° (VI) c hords
iv (IV) chords
Fm (F)
V(v) or vii° (VII) chords
V(v) chords
G (Gm)
VI (#vi°) chords
VI (#vi°) chords Ab (A°)
III (III+), iv (IV), V (v), or vii° (VII) c hords
vii° (VII) c hords B° B° (Bb)
i c hord
Some of the most common co mmon chord progressions in popular music are I-I V-V-I, V-V-I, I-ii-V-I, and i-iv-V-i.
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Like everything in music and art in general, you are the creator of your work, and you can decide whether you want to follow the rules or try something completely different. Just for fun, try playing, or just listen listening ing to some chord progressions to get a feel of how easy it can be to build a great song—or at least a halfway decent pop song. Listen to the I-V-I (G Major-D Major-G Major) chord progression in G major. Listen to the I-ii-V-I-iii-V-vii◦-I I-ii-V-I-iii-V-vii◦-I (CM-Dm-GM-CM-Em-GM-Bdim-CM) chord progression in C major.
Creating Music with Chord Progressions By Michael Pilhofer and Pilhofer and Holly Day
Part of the Music Theory For Dummies Cheat Sheet A chord chord progression progression is a group of chords that you use to create music. Some chord progressions just sound better than others, so it pays to experiment. The following table, which shows commonly used major-key major-key chords and the other chords they often lead to, can help you in deciding which chords will come next in your compositions. Chord
Leads To
I
Can appe ppear anyw nywhere ere and lead anyw anywh here
ii
I, V, or vii° c hords
iii
I, IV, or vi chords
IV
I, ii, V, or vii° chords
V
I, vi chords
vi
I, ii, iii, IV, or V chords
vii° I chord Copyright © 2013 & Trademark by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.