CHORDS THEORY - Lesson 8 - Chord progressions

[Andrew Milner]

So like, do chords get progressively better at something or what?

1. Topics of discussion
2. Chord progressions explained
3. Chord progression examples

1. Topics of discussion

In this tutorial, we are going to talk about chord progressions. So, let's have some fun.

2. Chord progressions explained

A chord progression is a succession of chords, usually from the same key, that serves as the rhythm section of a song. A chord progression also helps in setting out the general melodic direction of a song.

Chord progressions are usually notated by using Roman numerals. If you recall, in the last tutorial we talked about how each note of a scale has a degree associated with it. There are several ways in which you can name that degree and one of them involves Roman numerals.

More precisely, the note degrees present in a diatonic scale can be named by using the first 8 Roman representations of numbers: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII and VIII, with I corresponding to the tonic degree, II corresponding to the supertonic degree and so on.

Of course, chord progressions will only use the degrees from I to VII, since VIII would be the tonic chord again. Another thing worth noticing is that you may encounter progression examples that use degrees notated with lowercase Roman numerals, such as ii, vi, iii, vii. We'll talk more about that in the next tutorial though.

3. Chord progression examples

Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at a I-IV-V progression in the C major scale:

You can listen to it here.

In this example, we have used the tonic, subdominant and dominant chords, with the subdominant one leading into the dominant chord and the progression repeating itself afterward. Next up, let's take a look at a I-III-V-VI progression, also in the key of C major:

You can listen to it here.

And now, let's have a bit more fun. I'm going to put some songs here and I want you to listen to them, one after the other:

• Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
• The Beatles - Let It Be
• Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife (the chorus of the song)
• Rise Against - This Is Letting Go (the chorus of the song)

You may hear that these songs have something in common. Can't quite put your finger on it? The answer lies in the chord progression used. The I-V-vi-IV progression used in these songs in various places is the most common progression used in songwriting. Of course, with it being so common, it might make your songs sound very similar to others, so it's best to use it sparingly.

And that about covers it for this one. Next time, we are going to discuss chord degrees and learn about chord roles. See you then.

 

[idssdi]

I'm a sucker for Harmony especially when smart things happen leading into the following section. I think the I-V-Vi-IV chord progression is almost as common in pop music as is the ii-V-I in jazz and I-IV-V in blues.

Also the chord doesn't Nescecarily have to be in key to be a cool addition to the chord progression with a cool harmonic function. Example of that would be Hotel California, Something and Acid rain. I think that's the creating your own weather part.

 

[Andrew Milner]

I'm a sucker for Harmony especially when smart things happen leading into the following section. I think the I-V-Vi-IV chord progression is almost as common in pop music as is the ii-V-I in jazz and I-IV-V in blues.

Also the chord doesn't Nescecarily have to be in key to be a cool addition to the chord progression with a cool harmonic function. Example of that would be Hotel California, Something and Acid rain. I think that's the creating your own weather part.

True that. At first, it's easier to work with chords from the same key. You can then proceed to add chords from other keys as well. Another good example where a chord change occurs like this is in Love of my Life by Queen.