A chord progression (or harmonic progression) is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing (or contradicting) a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships. Chords and chord theory are generally known as harmony.

A chord progression can be thought of as a harmonic simultaneity succession: it offers an ongoing shift of level that is essential to the music of Europe (at least since 1600), Oceania and South/West Africa. A change of chord, or "chord change", generally occurs on an accented beat, so that chord progressions may contribute significantly to the rhythm, meter and musical form of a piece, delineating bars, phrases and sections.

Basics

A chord may be built upon any note of a musical scale, therefore a seven-note scale allows seven basic chords, each degree of the scale becoming the "root" of its own chord. A chord built upon the note A is an A chord of some type, major/minor/diminished/etc. The harmonic ''function'' of any particular chord depends on the context of the particular chord progression in which it is found. (''See'' Diatonic function)

The diatonic harmonization of any major scale results in three major triads. They are based on the first, fourth, and fifth scale degrees (the tonic, subdominant and dominant – ''see three-chord song''). These three triads include, and therefore can harmonize, every note of that scale.

The same scale also provides three relative minor chords, one related to each of the three major chords. These are based upon the sixth, second and third degrees of the major scale and stand in the same relationship to one another as do the three majors, so that they may be viewed as the first, fourth and fifth degrees of the relative minor key. Separate from these six common chords there is one degree of the scale, the seventh, that results in a diminished chord.

In addition, extra notes may be added to any chord. If these notes are also selected from the original scale the harmony remains diatonic. If new chromatic intervals are introduced then a change of scale or modulation occurs, which may bring the sense of a change of tonal center. This in turn may lead to a resolution back to the original key, so that the entire sequence of chords helps create an extended musical form.

Although all this allows for a large number of possible progressions (depending upon the length of the progression), in practice progressions are often limited to a few bars' length and certain progressions are favored above others: there is a certain amount of fashion in this and a chord progression may even define an entire genre.

In western classical notation chords built on the scale are numbered with Roman numerals. A D chord will be figured I in the key of D, for example, but IV in the key of A. Minor chords are signified by lower case Roman, so that D minor in the key of C would be written ii. Other forms of chord notation have been devised, from figured bass to the chord chart. These usually allow or even require a certain amount of improvisation.

Simple progressions

Diatonic scales such as the major and minor scales lend themselves particularly well to the construction of common chords because they contain a large number of perfect fifths. Such scales predominate in those regions where harmony is an essential part of music, as, for example, in the common practice period of western classical music. On the other hand Arab and Indian music, though they use diatonic scales, also have a number of non-diatonic scales available because the music has no chord changes: it remains always upon the key-chord, as does a certain amount of hard rock, hip hop, funk, disco, jazz, etc.

Alternation between two chords may be thought of as the most basic chord progression. Many well-known pieces are built harmonically upon the mere repetition of two chords of the same scale. For example, many of the more straightforward melodies in classical music (''e.g.'', Jeremiah Clarke's ''Trumpet Voluntary'') consist entirely or mostly of alternation between the tonic (I) and the dominant (V, sometimes with an added seventh), as do folk songs such as "Polly Wolly Doodle" and popular songs such as "Achy Breaky Heart". Erik Satie's first ''Gymnopédie'' for piano and the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" are both built upon a repeated I - IV, while The Isley Brothers' "Shout" and Bob Marley and King Sporty's "Buffalo Soldier" both use I - vi (the former throughout, the latter for the verses).

Three-chord progressions

Three-chord tunes, though, are more common, since a melody may then dwell on any note of the scale. Often the chords may be selected to fit a pre-conceived melody, but just as often it is the progression itself that gives rise to the melody.

The three-chord I - IV - V progression, a particularly popular kind of circle progression ''(see below)'', can be placed into a four-bar phrase in several ways that have been put to endless use in popular music. Ottman gives examples of favoured progressions:

I - IV - V - V. (The basis of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba", this progression also provides the refrain of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", The Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout", and The Beatles's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".)

I - I - IV - V. (Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop" (usually credited to Robert Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts), "Heartbeat" (written by Bob Montgomery and Norman Petty for Buddy Holly), The Rolling Stones' "Get Off Of My Cloud" (refrain), Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", Van Morrison's "Madame George", The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop")

I - IV - I - V. (Common in Elizabethan music (Scholes 1977), this also underpins the American college song "Goodnight Ladies", is used the exclusive progression used in Kwela, and Solomon Linda's "Mbube"/"Wimoweh"/"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" among many others.)

I - IV - V - IV. (Chip Taylor's/The Troggs' "Wild Thing", "Louie Louie", etc.)

This basic harmonic pattern occurs in many other pop songs—the output of Phil Spector might also be cited. Similar progressions abound in African popular music. They may be varied by the addition of sevenths (or other scale degrees) to any chord or by substitution of the relative minor of the IV chord to give, for example, I - ii - V. This last is heard, for example, in The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" (''"Got to keep those...."''). This sequence, using the chord based on the second scale degree, is also used cadentially in a common chord progression of jazz harmony, the so-called ii-V-I turnaround, on which are based the more ornate Coltrane changes.

Such progressions provide the entire harmonic foundation of much African and American popular music, and they occur sectionally in many pieces of classical music (such as the opening bars of Beethoven's ''Pastoral'' Symphony). Any of these progressions may be transposed into any key so that, for instance, the progression I - IV - V in the key of A will be played A - D - E, while in the key of C the chords will be C - F - G.

Where such a simple sequence does not represent the entire harmonic structure of a piece, it may readily be extended for greater variety. Frequently an opening phrase of the type I - IV - V - V, which ends on an unresolved dominant, may be "answered" by a similar version that resolves back onto the home chord, giving a structure of double the length:

I - IV - V - V

I - IV - V - I

Additionally, such a passage may be alternated with a different progression to give a simple binary or ternary form such as that of the popular thirty-two-bar form (see musical form).

Blues changes

The twelve bar blues and its many variants use an elongated, three-line form of the I - IV - V progression that has also generated countless hit records, including the most significant output of rock and rollers such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard. In its most elementary form (there are many variants) the chords progress as follows:

I - I - I - I - IV - IV - I - I - V - V - I - I

Again, blues progressions have formed the entire harmonic basis of many recorded songs but may also be confined to a single section of a more elaborate form, as frequently with The Beatles in such songs as "You Can't Do That", "I Feel Fine", and "She's A Woman". They have also been subjected to densely chromatic elaboration, as in the work of Charlie Parker.

Steedman (1984) proposed that a set of recursive rewrite rules generate all well-formed transformations of jazz, both basic blues chord changes and slightly modified sequences (such as the "rhythm changes"). Important transformations include:

replacement of (or addition to) a chord with its dominant, subdominant or the tritone substitution.

use of chromatic passing chords.

extensively applying the ii-V-I turnaround.

chord alterations such as minor chords, diminished sevenths, etc.

50s progression

Another common way of extending the I - IV - V sequence is by adding the chord of the sixth scale degree, giving the sequence I - vi - IV - V or I - vi - ii - V, sometimes called the 50s progression.

In fact this sequence had been in use from the earliest days of classical music (used often by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), but after generating popular hits such as Rogers and Hart's "Blue Moon" (1934), Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields' 1936 "The Way You Look Tonight" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Heart and Soul" (1938), it became associated with the black American vocal groups of the 1940s, The Ink Spots and The Mills Brothers ("Till Then"), and thus later became the entire basis of the 1950s doo-wop genre, a typical example being The Monotones' "The Book of Love".

Taken up into the pop mainstream, for example with Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's "All I Have to Do Is Dream", a hit for The Everly Brothers, in the 1960s it continued to generate records as otherwise disparate as The Paris Sisters' "I Love How You Love Me" (written by Mann and Kolber) and Boris Pickett's "Monster Mash".

It continued to be used sectionally, as in the refrain of The Beatles' "Girl", and also to form the harmonic basis of further new songs for decades ("Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "Don't Get Me Wrong" by The Pretenders).

Circle progressions

Introducing the ii chord into these progressions emphasises their appeal as constituting elementary forms of circle progression. These, named for the circle of fifths, consist of "adjacent roots in ascending fourth or descending fifth relationship"—for instance, the sequence vi - ii - V - I ascends with each successive chord to one a fourth above the previous. Such a motion, based upon close harmonic relations, offers "undoubtedly the most common and the strongest of all harmonic progressions". The succession of cadences gives an impression of inevitable return to the key-note of the piece.

Short cyclical progressions may be derived by selecting a sequence of chords from the series completing a circle from the tonic through all seven diatonic chords:

This came about partly due to the similarity of the blues scale to modal scales and partly from the characteristics of the guitar and the use of parallel major chords on the pentatonic minor scale. This phenomenon is also linked to the rise in the use of power chords. Progressions of the general type I - Flat III - IV are audible, for example, in Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and Fleetwood Mac's "Green Manalishi".

Chord progressions in classical music

Early European art music developed through embellishment of a single line of melody and classical theory still emphasises the correct "horizontal" progress of single-note parts, sometimes known as "voice-leading". Generally, to the melody in the upper part is added first a bass line and then two inner lines to complete the chords in four part harmony suitable for a choir or string section, terminating with cadences, avoiding some chord inversions and favouring others, maintaining an orderly and melodic conjunct, contrary and oblique motion of each part relative to the others in order to achieve unity of texture by avoidance of inappropriate intervals, parallel fifths and octaves etc. Much practice is given to the art of harmonic transition and development that is essential to classical music's use of harmony as a means of achieving unity in a large-scale form. Although, as noted above, classical music has its cliche progressions these are seldom named and discussed: perhaps only Schoenberg among the authors of popular text-books of harmony has made some attempt to do so. Chord tablatures for chord-playing instruments such as keyboard and guitar by and by gave way to fully notated parts.

See also

Cadence (music)

Chord chart

Chromatic mediant

Coltrane changes

Ear training

Functional harmony

Harmony

List of chord progressions

Montgomery-Ward bridge

Passamezzo moderno

Passing chord

Ragtime progression

Sequence (music)

Sixteen bar blues

Tonality

Sources

Further reading

Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). "Studying Popular Music". Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0-335-15275-9.

Nettles, Barrie & Graf, Richard (1997). ''The Chord Scale Theory and Jazz Harmony''. Advance Music, ISBN 389221056X.

External links

Examples of Gospel Music Chord Progressions

Google spreadsheet of hundreds of 3 chord songs

Category:Harmony

ca:Progressió harmònica de:Progression (Musik) es:Progresión armónica fr:Progression d'accords he:מהלך הרמוני it:Progressione armonica nl:Akkoordprogressie ja:ポピュラー和声 no:Akkordprogresjon pl:Progresja (muzyka) pt:Progressão harmônica ro:Progresie de acorduri simple:Chord progression fi:Sointukulku

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Rob Paravonian
birth name	Rob Paravonian
birth place	Waukegan, Illinois
medium	stand up, guitar comedy
nationality	American
influences	Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Jack Benny
notable work	''Pachelbel Rant''
website	http://www.RobPRocks.com
footnotes	}}

Rob Paravonian is a comedian, best known for his "Pachelbel Rant" which parodies the use of the chord progression from Pachelbel's Canon in many popular songs.

Music

Born in Waukegan, Illinois, son of a first-generation Armenian-American schoolteacher and local politician (His father Haig was mayor of Waukegan from 1989-1993), Rob Paravonian has always loved music, learning cello at age six and playing it from grade school through to the Waukegan High School Symphony. At age 10 the Grade School Orchestra went to nationals in Nashville, and at 13 he went to Florida with the High School Chamber Orchestra, before teaching himself guitar and bass in high school.

While attending college at USC in Los Angeles, Rob began working as a comedian, performing at wide-open shows in cafes in L.A. After college he studied improvisation and ensemble work at the Second City Training Center in Chicago and became a regular at the Improv. He also began going on the road, playing Midwest clubs and headlining colleges from coast to coast.

After moving to New York, he quickly became a regular at Catch a Rising Star, and has appeared on Comedy Central, VH1, has written cartoon theme songs, written and performed sketch shows and is on his third solo show.

In 2005 he performed for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which he described as "a great experience."

Musical stand up

Originally a traditional stand up comedian, Rob started bringing his guitar with him to pass the time waiting for his set at the open mic clubs in LA, playing comical songs he'd written with the other comics there. They suggested he try some guitar stuff on stage and, since he had played music most of his life he tried it, and found the crowd enjoyed it.

Much of his success comes from word of mouth and via the internet.

Pachelbel Rant

Rob's popular YouTube video regarding his hatred toward Johann Pachelbel and Pachelbel's Canon in D major (which he attributes to the fact that he played cello in school, and the cellist's part consists of eight quarter notes played repeatedly: D, A, B, F#, G, D, G, A) has attracted more than 9.0 million viewers, including more than 100,000 favorites. Throughout the course of his rant, he continuously plays the Canon's chord progression on his acoustic guitar. Below is a list of the songs he references (at times ambiguously) throughout his routine, and the lyrics that tie to each of them (N.B. During several of the latter songs, he changes the chord progression to suit the individual song, although still using the same chords):

! Band	! Song	! Lyric
	Graduation (Friends Forever)	"As we go on, we'll remember..."
Aerosmith	Cryin'	"There was a time when I was so broken-hearted..."
Original Caste	One Tin Soldier	"Listen children to my story, it was written long ago..."
Blues Traveler		"Suck it in suck it in suck it in / If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn/ Make a desperate move or else you'll win..."
Green Day
Matchbox 20		"I wanna push you around, well I will, I will / I wanna push you down, well I will, well I will..."
Better than Ezra		"Wahow, it's been good living with you..."
		"My machinehead is better than the rest / My machinehead is better than the..."
U2	With or Without You	"See the stone set in her eye / See the thorn twist in her..."
Natalie Imbruglia/Ednaswap		"I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel / I'm cold and I am shamed, lying naked on the floor..."
Avril Lavigne		"He was a boy, she was a girl, / Could it be any more obvious..."
Twisted Sister		"We're not gonna take it / no, we ain't gonna take it..."
Cyndi Grecco	Making our Dreams come True (Laverne & Shirley theme song)	"On your mark, get set, and go now / Got a dream and we just know now..."
Bob Marley	No Woman, No Cry	"No woman no cry..."
The Beatles		"When I find myself in times of trouble..."
Johnny Cash		He replaces "I'll see you all in hell, damn your eyes" from the original with "I'll see your ass in hell, Pachelbel"

Releases

Studio CD

Living it Down

American Cheese

Don't Crowd the Plow

Songs From the Second Story

Live CD

Live on Both Coasts

Official Bootleg

Playing for Drunks

DVD

40 Minutes From Chicago

Rob P. Live

See also

Four Chords Song

References

External links

RobPRocks.com

Rob Paravonian at BlogSpot

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:People from Waukegan, Illinois Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:American comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American musicians of Armenian descent Category:American people of Armenian descent

es:Rob Paravonian