A chord progression is basically a group of chords that you use to create music. It is usually utilized with the intention of moving towards a definite goal in order to establish a basic tonality. Tonality is a form of musical system that’s centered on a tonic (or based around a root note of a Major scale). If you want to learn more about chord progressions, then this article will function as a basic overview.
A Technical Definition
As suggested in the introduction above, the basic definition of a chord progression is that it is a series of chords that’s founded on one Major Root note. However, to be more precise, chords which are organized to form a song is what’s called a progression and it basically follows a Major or Minor scale. For example: in the key of C, its Major scale is C-D-E-F-G-A-B and numbered in the classical tradition of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7.
The Numbering Method
Traditionalists basically use roman numerals instead of the one mentioned above (i.e., I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII). However, this article will use a more modern approach. The first note (1) would be the C, which is also the root note. Following this, 2-3-4-5 would be D-E-F-G. In this numbering method, when a piece is asked to fill in a fifth chord in the key of C (or C Major Scale), that means that you have to provide the G chord. All chord progressions follow this basic number method as a guide on which chords you should pick when choosing a musical piece that’s centered on a Major scale tonality.
Rules & Patterns
In the chord progression of a Major scale, the numbering method is usually followed by some rules that you need to remember every time when creating a musical piece. A C Major scale of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 is actually patterned as Major (1), Minor (2), Minor (3), Major (4), Major (5), Minor (6), and Minor (7). So that would mean that a C Major scale’s chord progression would be C Major, D Minor, E Minor, F Major, G Major, A Minor, and B Minor. Think of it in this way: 1M (capital letter M means Major), 2m (small letter m means Minor), 3m, 4M, 5M, 6m, and 7m. To better remember if the spacing of each number/note is either a whole step (in guitar, that means two frets higher) or a half step upwards (one fret higher in guitar terms), always put in mind that the numbers 1-2-3-5-6 are whole steps, while 4 and 7 are half steps (semitones).
About Transposition
In transposing a Major scale’s chord progression, it’s important to note that the same pattern applies to the numbering method. If a key is transposed from C to D, then you should consider D as the Major Root note (a whole step upwards). The 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 pattern is then translated as D-E-F#-G-A-B-C in this transposition. To be precise with the correct minor and major rules, the pattern would then be DM, Em, F#m, GM, AM, Bm, and C#m. In transposition, chord progressions can still follow the basic number method so long as you’re aware of how many whole/half steps you’re going to make to achieve the correct transposition.
Basic Progressions
Classical music is sometimes filled with many chord progressions. With modern music, it’s actually a lot simpler. You can basically get away with only 2 or 3 chords when creating a song. Some songs even incorporate a mere 1 chord. However, the most common chord progression nowadays is only about 3 chords. Using the numbering method, the pattern would look like 1M-4M-5M. Nowhere is this pattern more prominent than in today’s blues and rock music. The idea that only 2 or 3 chords could be used on a song seemed ridiculous before. But as with everything that concerns music, it’s all about enjoyment.
Evolution
People nowadays certainly lean more towards rhythmic patterns than complicated chord progressions. However, that doesn’t mean that 5 chords on a song are no longer applicable. It just means that music is an evolutionary process that has no specific destination. Who knows? Maybe in the future, people will lean more towards a legato trend than actual rhythmic/dynamic patterns or chord progressions. Nobody is entirely sure, but one thing’s for certain, things will work out fine and chord progressions will always be there.
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