<<<<<<<< back to Color Chords   Chord Progressions Major Keys Chord progressions are thought to make a complete circle, usually on the tonic chord of the key.  The progression may be only two chords or it may be a half dozen chords.  No matter how long it is, a complete chord progression gives a sense of resolution or closure.  The ending phrase within a chord progression is called a “cadence”.  These are important because they set up the feeling of resolution in a chord progression.  There are formulas for these and each has a name. Perfect Cadence.  V to I.  In the key of D that would be a chord progression of A to D. It’s called “perfect” because the movement is from the dominant chord to the tonic chord.  The chords may be in any inversion.  The V to I movement is sometimes called “final cadence” or “closing cadence.” Perfect Authentic Cadence.  Is a V to I movement with the root tone of each chord in the bass. Plagal Cadence. IV to I.  In the Key of D that would be a chord progression of G to D.  It’s the familiar “amen” of hymns.  The plagal cadence is regarded as a weak ending but often appears at the midpoint of a melody.  If you seek a gentle, ending to a tune, the plagal cadence is a good choice.  Sometimes it is used as a short coda that repeats a melodic phrase to end a piece. Half Cadence of Imperfect Cadence.  This cadence ends on the V chord rather than the I chord.  Ending on the dominant chord, rather than the tonic chord, leaves the feeling of unresolved tension.  Hence the name of imperfect or half.   The imperfect cadence is common at the turn around of a fiddle tune.  It most often appears at the end of the last measure of the first pass of the A part.  If you find a V chord there, you’ll be looking at an imperfect cadence.  There are many ways to get to the V chord.  Here are a few examples: Half Cadence In the Key of D   I to V  D to A IV to V G to A ii to V Em to A vi to V    Bm to A Sometimes arrangers will end a tune on an imperfect cadence.  The technique was popular during the 1960’s folk music scene.  Be careful if you elect to do this.  It can sound tacky, amateurish, and pretentious. Deceptive Cadence.   This occurs when the harmonic movement leads naturally to a V chord but rather than resolving on the I chord, the progression moves to any other chord but I.  Some examples are: Deceptive Cadence In the Key of D    V to IV A to G   V to vi  A to Bm V to II A to Em   V to V7  A to A7 V to Vsus4 A to Asus4 Deceptive cadences also go by the term “interrupted cadences."

Some Commonly Used Chord Progressions Chord Numbers   In the Key of D  Comments   I to  IV  to V to I  D  to G  to A  to D This is the harmonic drapery of thousands of folk and rock and roll ballads   I to  IV  to V7 to I     D  to G  to A7  to D Same as the first progression, only with more tension because of the V7 chord  I to V to I  D  to A to D    A standard Old Time music progression  I to IV to V to IV to I   D to G to A to G to D This sequence makes use of the “plagal cadence” – the “amen cadence” – of IV to I.  Often shows up in repetitive tunes. I to ii to IV to V to I  D to Em to G to A to D This is a strong progression whose movement is a rising line – D E G.A – a scale of root tones.  I to V to vi to IV to I   D to A to Bm to G to D  Another plagal cadence ending useful in repetitive tunes.  I to vi to ii to V to I  D to Bm to Em to A to D Doo-wop and 50’s rock and roll would not have happened without this harmonic support.  It’s also the chord progression of the Gershwin song I’ve got Rhythm.  I to vi to IV to V to I  D to Bm to G to A to D  Another doo-wop progression with a  strong bass line of root tones.   I to vi to ii to V to ii  D to Bm to Em to A to Em  A nice moderation of the expected perfect cadence.  I to IV to I to V7 to IV to I  D to G to D to A7 to G to D  The standard 12-bar blues progression.  I to IV to vii° to iii to vi to ii to V to I  D to G to C#dim to F#m to Bm to Em to A to D  Each chord in this progression is a 5th above the following chord.  It is called the “circle of 5ths” progression.

“Safe” guidelines for creating chord progressions This Chord Tends to Lead to this Chord I any chord ii IV, V and vii° iii ii, IV, and vi IV I, iii, V, and vii° V I vi ii, IV, V, and I vii°   I, iii On to Chord Functions >>>>>>>>>>

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