Basic Music Theory Progression Path

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

Music theory is really complicated.

Basically, music is the process of creating aural tension and then resolving it.

Quick intro: When talking about chords, we use Roman numerals so we can make a distinction between major and minor chords.

In a major key, the chords based on the scale degrees are as follows:

I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii*

(the * substitutes for the superscript circle that I don't have access to in typical word-processing. Additional chord symbols are the + for augmented and the - for diminished. Jazz has additional notations I won't cover).

That means that if you are playing in the key of C major, the chord build on the 1st scale degree, the C chord, will be major. The chord built on the 2nd scale degree, d, will be minor. Then e minor, F major, G major, a minor, and b* diminished.  Note that I'm also capitalizing chord letters for major, lower case for minor.

In a minor key the chords based on the scale degrees are as follows:

i - ii* - III - iv - v - VI - VII

Note that the chord based on the fifth scale degree is naturally minor.  But for reasons of good sounding harmony, , the 3rd of the v chord is raised so that you get a major V chord. This sounds better. It also results in the Harmonic Minor scale, which has a raised note that gives it that Yngwie J. Malmsteen sound.

For example, in "a minor", the v chord is E - G - B, a minor chord. But you raise the 3rd of the v chord to G#, making it a major chord. That 3rd of the chord is actually the 7th scale degree, right? (g is the 7th note in the a minor scale) so the scale becomes: a b c d e f g#. Play that a few times and you'll hear Yngwie.

So what that actually gives us is: i - ii* - III - iv - V - VI - VIII

Back in the Gregorian Chant days, we pretty much could only use 2 chords: the dominant and the root (the V chord and the I chord). The sub-dominant (the IV chord) was considered extremely discordant. There was no way you were sneaking in even a ii chord.

Over time, we have grown more sophisticated in music.  Things that used to be dissonant are now consonant, things that used to be outright disallowed are now dissonant and can be used freely as long as they resolve to an accepted consonant. (I have realized that you can walk to a keyboard and randomly mash a bunch of keys, and it will sound good as long as you *properly* resolve each note...I can't actually do that, but some composers can) Music Theorists have charted how this all works.

This chart covers 99% of all songs ever written.  There are some differences: you have a Neopolitan chord, which is a major chord on the flatted 2nd scale degree. You have chord borrowing between the related major and minor scales. You have common chord modulations. And jazz occasionally uses common tritone intervals to sometimes jump outside the progression (but usually from one ii-V-I progression to another...in some ways, jazz is more rigid in its flexibility than popular music).

To explain, or to try it out yourself, just pick a starting point, anywhere. Choose the next chord according to the arrows. Keep going until you hit the I chord and then stop. Repeat, or make a new one. As I said, there are a few additional complexities, but this should cover 99% of what you want to figure out, or what you want to write.

The reason there are boxes is that you usually go from box to box. Meaning, you can go from the vi to the IV to the V to the I, or you can go from the vi to the ii to the V to the I, or you can go from the vi to the ii to the vii* to the i, or you can go from the vi to the IV to the vii* to the I. But you can also follow the arrows within the box. So starting from the vi, you could go:

vi - IV - ii - V - I
vi - IV - vii* - V - I

vi - ii - vii* - V - I

vi - IV - ii - vii* - V - I

You don't have to start with the vi, of course. I was just trying to start early enough to show how the boxes work in conjunction with the arrows.

Note that you can go from the vi to the V and back.

So you could conceivably make an extremely long progression of:

iii - vi - V - vi - IV - ii - vii* - V - vi - V - vi - IV - ii - V - I

But that's just getting a little silly.  Still, it works.

I will give you one additional complication not shown on the charts, because it is actually surprisingly common in pop music:

Sometimes in a major key, you can flatten the 7th scale degree. Meaning, in the key of C major, you can drop the B down to a Bb, the A down to an Ab, and use stepwise bass motion.  I can't remember why this works, but I think it is because it is borrowing from the equivalent (not corresponding) minor...meaning, in the key of C major, borrowing from the c minor scale instead of the a minor scale.

Anyways, if you use the stepwise motion, it gives you progressions like: I - bVII - bVI - bVII - I. In the key of C, that would be C, Bb, Ab, Bb, C. Which I think is the progression for Joe Walsh's Turn to Stone.  And it is the final three chords in the major arpeggio progression in Styx' Rocking the Paradise. I remember it also being prominent in a Scorpion's song, but can't remember which one.  Try it out and you'll recognize it almost any time you hear it in a song.  To me, it gives an almost triumphant sort of feeling.

I think I explained it well, but if I have been confusing, I'm more than happy to try and clear it up. Or if anyone spotted any bad blunders, please correct me. It has been almost 30 years since my last music theory class.

 

I just realized I forgot to spell it out:

The top chart is for major keys.

The bottom chart is for minor keys.

My apologies for any loss or damage you may have sustained as a result of me not making this clear earlier.

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

One other point to add/clarify:

This works because the motion of a 5th in the bass is very strong to our expectations.

That's why jazz is so rigid in ii-V-I: they are so wild and crazy with the extensions and modifications, you need to have that circle of 5ths movement to provide harmonic motion.

So that's why the progression has boxes. Each movement from box to box should ideally have a bass movement of a 5th.

Moving from a IV to a ii (which is within a box rather than between boxes) works, but it is much weaker than from a vi to a ii, or from a IV to a vii*.

Possibly why this is: in C major, the IV chord is: F-A-C, the ii chord is D-F-A. The 7th chord of the ii is D-F-A-C. So when you play a IV chord, maybe you are really implying a II chord with the 3rd of the chord in the bass?  Because of the way we naturally understand music, the IV and the ii chord have very nearly the same function...and depending on whether you use the extended chord (with the added 7th) or not, they share 2 or 3 chord tones.

The V and the vii* are the same way: in C major, the 7th version of V is G-B-D-F, and the vii* is B-D-F, so that's 3 chord tones in common...it is almost like your brain fills in the G, or doesn't really need the G to give you that motion to the I chord.

Why is that?

Because the half-step motion from the 7th scale degree (b) to the root (c).  The half-step from the 4th (f) to the 3rd (e) is also pretty strong, but less than the 7th scale degree to the root.

It is those two half steps that rule harmonic motion.

Whenever you can get half-step harmonic motion, it works very smoothly.  Which is another key to how jazz works.  They use the half-step motion from extended and altered chord tones (particularly the flatted 5th tritone) to move to all sorts of chords not really covered in the chart. But that's advanced, and slightly beyond my ability to grasp...so WAY beyond my ability to explain.

[Thundersteel]

It's still all Greek to me!

[zorrow]

You explain it very well, sir!

I refreshed some of this stuff while in my recent Gypsy jazz stint as a rhythm guitarist. At a given point I was playing almost anything I wanted and it always sounded good, because mainly the bass lines still moved in the underlying progression, even if I applied quite a bit of substitutions and some chromaticisms.

It's a fascinating universe. Thanks for sharing all this with us!

[LucSulla]

I got used to referencing minor keys from a major context.  I'm not sure if it is standard, but the limited studio stuff I did in Nashvegas (low rent guitarist for demos) usually would stick say Am back in C.   Probably a quirk of the whole Nashville numbers thing born of way more stuff being major than minor. 

[JimiH]

I like this and will give it a go. I live in D maj at the moment so could I have a couple of examples here?

cheers

geoff

[Thundersteel]

Quote

The chord built on the 2nd scale degree, d, will be minor. Then e minor, F major, G major, a minor, and b* diminished.

Why? I don't understand...wouldn't it be D Maj, E Maj, etc.?

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

15 minutes ago, Thundersteel said:

Why? I don't understand...wouldn't it be D Maj, E Maj, etc.?

Because you are building a chord based on the scale associated with the key.

Easiest to see on a piano.

C Major: all white keys.

Go to the 2nd note. It's a D. Make a regular chord (skip every other note) and you end up with D, F, A. Since it is all white keys, it is a regular F, not an F#.

D-F-A is d minor. D-F#-A is D Maj. But F# isn't normally in the key of C Major.

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

5 hours ago, JimiH said:

I like this and will give it a go. I live in D maj at the moment so could I have a couple of examples here?

cheers

geoff

I'm not sure what you mean...

In DMaj, the 4th scale degree is G. On the Major chart (the first one), the 4th scale degree is Major, so it would be GMaj.

Here's what the chords are for DMaj:

I  D Major
ii e minor
iii f# minor
IV G Major
V  A Major
vi  b minor
vii* c# diminished

So you decide what path you want.  At first, try making your selection and writing out the actual chord progression before you play.

Later, after you get good at knowing what the chords are for your chosen key, you can just write down the roman numerals.

Finally, you can just look at the chart and change chords at whim following the arrows.

[Thundersteel]

Quote

Make a regular chord (skip every other note)

So, a "regular chord" (I'm assuming not minor/augmented, etc) is ALWAYS every other note, regardless of the key it's in?

 

Theory has always been a mystery to me. Once people start talking about degrees, roots, progressions, scale types (Mixolydian, etc), then I get thoroughly lost and confused. I guess that's why I'm still a hack!

 

 

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

11 minutes ago, Thundersteel said:

So, a "regular chord" (I'm assuming not minor/augmented, etc) is ALWAYS every other note, regardless of the key it's in?

 

 

Sort of.

I'd have to show you on a keyboard to make sure that you understood.

But if you can remember the normal intervals of the scales, it works.

The reason I said "sort of", tho, is that the different keys have different sharps and flats.

I don't have the skill to explain it clearly just typing. I'd have to be sitting next to you and show you what I mean on a guitar or keyboard.

 

[Ting Ho Dung]

4 hours ago, Thundersteel said:

Why? I don't understand...wouldn't it be D Maj, E Maj, etc.?

No, if I'm understanding you right. I asked this to my son's guitar teacher a few years ago. He looked right at Brandon and said, "You know this, right?" Brandon said yes and I was embarrassed that I should have just asked my son. It's not all Maj chords. 

[JimiH]

6 hours ago, Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame said:

I'm not sure what you mean...

In DMaj, the 4th scale degree is G. On the Major chart (the first one), the 4th scale degree is Major, so it would be GMaj.

Here's what the chords are for DMaj:

I  D Major
ii e minor
iii f# minor
IV G Major
V  A Major
vi  b minor
vii* c# diminished

So you decide what path you want.  At first, try making your selection and writing out the actual chord progression before you play.

Later, after you get good at knowing what the chords are for your chosen key, you can just write down the roman numerals.

Finally, you can just look at the chart and change chords at whim following the arrows.

I got you 😀

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

On 2/10/2016 at 10:20 AM, LucSulla said:

I got used to referencing minor keys from a major context.  I'm not sure if it is standard, but the limited studio stuff I did in Nashvegas (low rent guitarist for demos) usually would stick say Am back in C.   Probably a quirk of the whole Nashville numbers thing born of way more stuff being major than minor. 

I think part of it is that if you are composing and/or analyzing, you want to identify the root and have it stick in your head. So when you switch to a minor key, you want to identify the chords by function.

But if you are just playing, you use absolute numbers, maybe, because you just want to hit the right chords.  So there isn't any need to shift gears and make sure you identify the root with a i, the dominant with a v, etc.  Just hit the right chord.