Questions tagged [chord-progressions]
For questions about sequences of chords, and the relationship of one chord to the next. Typically questions about chord progressions should also be tagged harmony if asking about in depth concepts about them. Questions that are about abstractions of chord progressions use Roman Numeral analysis should also be tagged with Roman-Numeral and analysis if applicable.
2
votes
1answer
39 views
Identifying chords with multiple extensions
I understand that this may be basic. I have a chorus progression (C major) I am working on, and it originally started as basically the following:
I-VII-V-vi-V
I wanted to experiment a little by ...
3
votes
1answer
78 views
Parallel chord substitutions
Are parallel chord substitutions common in (classical) music (if so, please share some examples)? And do they have the same function as the original chords?
By saying parallel chords I am referring ...
3
votes
2answers
56 views
Secondary dominants and modal interchange
Is using a secondary dominant in a chord progression similar to using modal interchange? I hear the use of bVI chord in a major key quite similar to a V/V chord (It might just be me). How are they ...
2
votes
9answers
199 views
How do I find suitable chords for a melody or a song? Or How do I come up with chord progression?
I have spent some time reading a book that taught me different types of chords and different scales and I understand them very well. But the book didn't really expand on how to actually use these ...
3
votes
2answers
91 views
Is there any significance of key change of 3 semitones in pop songs?
I was listening to Nightwish's Nemo and noticed they have a key change of 3 semitones from Dm to Fm out of the blue that just sounds pretty good/unnoticeable:
And ...
1
vote
2answers
88 views
What key is this progression? Amaj7- Gmaj7- Fmaj7- Cmaj7
I have been building chords in maj7 and stringing them together in what sounds good to me. I like the sound of this progression and am curious as to how to determine what key it is, if any. I am very ...
2
votes
6answers
78 views
What are reasons to use the minor dominant in a minor progression, in particular i-VI-III-v?
I've learnt that in a minor key, the non-diatonic major dominant is basically always used instead of the diatonic minor dominant in order to get the leading tone in. Of course this is a trend but not ...
0
votes
2answers
54 views
Chord progression leading using B lydian (and others)
I'm reading the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, and in the book is a cool table with chord leading patterns.
The explanation in the book is this: So if you have a scale with the ...
1
vote
2answers
121 views
Naming the chords in Bach’s Prelude [closed]
As a practice I am trying to name the chords in each bar in Bach’s Prelude in C major.
Can you correct me if I am wrong?
0
votes
1answer
109 views
How do Jazz pianists learn to improvise and make up chord progressions that make it sound more complicated than it actually is? [closed]
I know that classical, or Western artistic music mainly uses traditional chords e.g. major, minor, dominant seventh, augmented, suspended and diminished. But, Jazz goes way more into it..Major ...
0
votes
4answers
75 views
How can I find simple guitar chords to fit a melody line?
I worked out that the melody line to "Joy to the world" is basically just up and down the D major scale. In fact the first line "joy to the world, the lord is come" is literally the descending melody ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Can I use this chord progression in G major?
I am trying to write a song in G major and I am wondering if it would be ok to use this chord progression in G major:
G - Em - D - Am
9
votes
5answers
815 views
Incorrectly labeled chord. Is this a dominant seventh?
I am trying to analyse this but am confused by the chord marked Am7. Am7 shouldn't have a D in it and doesn't make much sense in the context. Could it possibly be a D7 with the G being a suspension of ...
7
votes
3answers
596 views
How do you analyze this Mozart Piano Sonata?
How does one analyse the progression in bar 81 of this Mozart piano sonata?
3
votes
0answers
59 views
Melodic minor and the ii chord
I am curious about the following. If you look at the Melodic Minor scale (ascending) it is really just Dorian with a major 7th.
In Jazz we do not alter this mode when descending. In classical ...
6
votes
1answer
368 views
I need help analysing weird chord progression
Here is the progression, bar-by-bar (newline after each 4 bar phrase):
Verse:
D | Bm7 | Gmaj7 | Em9
D | Bm7 | Gmaj7 | Fmaj7
Chorus:
Abmaj7 | Abmaj7 | Abm7 | Abm6
Ebmaj7/G | Ebmaj7 | F7 | F7
Fm7 ...
4
votes
5answers
155 views
Modal chord progression and tritone substitution
Is is possible to use tritone substitution in modal chord progression?
For example I have a simple I-IV-V-I chord prog, in C mixolidian:
C-F-Gm-C.
Can I substitute the Gm with Db7? And if yes the ...
1
vote
2answers
54 views
Chords with different bass and non-diatonic chords inside a progression
I'm studying music by myself and I'm dealing with several doubts: one of these is, are there some criteria for using a chord with a different bass in a chord progression? And how should I use it? Also,...
2
votes
1answer
33 views
How does the chord change from VII7 to I work in the Jobin's Meditation?
I have been learning the tune Meditation by AC Jobin. In the arrangement I have been given the first five bars of the progression go
C69 C69 B11 B13 Cmaj7. I like to understand how the chords are ...
3
votes
2answers
108 views
Help with determining the key signature of a new song that I am writing
I recently wrote a chord progression for a song that I am working on. I just had the basic melody in my head and found the chords on the guitar, but I can’t seem to fit the progression within any ...
-1
votes
1answer
127 views
Pieces of music with the same “structure” give the same feeling? Can anybody “learn to create it” by analyzing it? [closed]
I like the type of music which gives me determination and this "I can do it." feeling and I noticed that every one of this type of music has the same "structure" or "pitch movement".
I don't talk ...
1
vote
2answers
79 views
Understand this progression/harmony
I've found a song that uses the next progression. Is a 4 "simple" 4 bars progression:
Cm / D / D# / F
In the first 3 bars, it plays notes from this scale: D D# F# G A A# C
In the last bar, basically ...
1
vote
0answers
55 views
After key change from minor to major, why does the vi chord sound so bad?
After playing the progression:
Dm9 Gmadd6(add9)
FM7(13)
C9 Gmadd6
FM7(13)
Going back to the Dm9 right after this sounds pretty bad. I assume because the C9 implying key change from minor to ...
1
vote
2answers
136 views
Question of putting Roman Numerals on a chord sequence I have
I only have a little knowledge of music theory and was unable to work out how to use roman numerals to denote a chord sequence of one of my old tunes which starts in Fm. I have listed the chord ...
3
votes
3answers
75 views
Key signature and chord progressions
I was studying a blues song (Bessie's Blues) in all keys and I seem unable to understand something that seems quite basic.
So, in the typical progression for a Bb organ we have C7-F7-C7-C7-F7-F7 etc.
...
4
votes
2answers
72 views
How do I use the Omnibus Progression to Modulate from I to iv?
I am composing a piece in which there is a modulation between the keys of Db major and F# minor. Is it possible to use the omnibus progression to smoothly execute this modulation? If it is possible, ...
3
votes
1answer
40 views
Is the typical use of the N6 Neapolitan chord to lead to a perfect cadence rather than a half cadence?
The basic N6 description is that it leads to the dominant chord, but this doesn't fully explain its use in cadences.
A survey of my harmony texts - Piston, Seigmeister, and Kostka - show N6 going to ...
3
votes
3answers
109 views
Rules for computer aided chord progression
I'm working on a program to help musicians write chord progressions. You pick the chords one at a time in sequence, and the computer to try to "guess" what chords should come next, similar to the way ...
3
votes
1answer
61 views
minor ii-7 moving to I-6
In traditional hymn writing, can I move from a ii-7 in root position to the I chord in first inversion in the middle of my hymn, then continue to the V as a half cadence?
4
votes
2answers
121 views
F7 -> A7 -> Bb7 -> A7 what kinda progression is it
I am trying to understand the first couple of bars from Hancock's Driftin. How should I interpret it ? If I look at it as a F major then what is the function of A7 there ?
Here is a link for the ...
1
vote
1answer
65 views
What is the name of this chord
I'm sure this has been asked before but I cannot find in anywhere. Say you are in the key of C major. What is the name of a dominant chord on the 6th scale degree, i.e. A C# E G. This device is ...
1
vote
1answer
73 views
How can I write music by chord progression?
The title is a good representation of what I want to do. Is there a standard way of testing out my chord progression so that I can hear it without having to write it down on a score? Writing out the ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
In minor, can the neapolitan sixth chord resolve to the diminished seventh chord on the leading-tone (of the same key)?
What would that look like voice-leading-wise? I'm assuming more or less traditional common-practice harmony rules. Examples from the literature would be much appreciated.
6
votes
3answers
970 views
Chord exceptions in City of New Orleans
Here are the first few chords of "City of New Orleans" as performed by Arlo Guthrie:
F# C# F# D#m B F#
F# C# F# D#m B F#
D#m A#m C# G#
If I lay out the chords in a roman numeral chart, starting at ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the progression from A minor to F minor called?
I'm a beginner piano player and theorist and played around on the piano and came across this progression from Am to Fm which has a very grim and black metalesque/dungeon synthy sound. I couldn't find ...
1
vote
4answers
127 views
How to develop or change the chord progression [closed]
Just going to say I don't have any experience with music/music theory so the way that I may not be right in the way that I describe my problem though I think it will be easy to understand.
Right now ...
1
vote
0answers
54 views
Term for chorus that sounds like pre-chorus
I'm not good with musical terms, but I like to listen to songs that have odd and strange parts while maintaining "good" structure.
There's a song called Remember Me by Oh My Girl. To my ear, the ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
Chords going well with pentatonic scale and blues scale?
Let's say I want to improvise (create a solo) on the pentatonic scale A C D E G:
E||---------------------5-8-|
B||-----------------5-8-----|
G||-------------5-7---------|
D||---------5-7-------------|...
-1
votes
1answer
86 views
Can't understand parallel progression. Can explain with example?
I'm sorry, I'm very noob at music theory.
I know major scales, minor scales (natural, harmonic and melodic) and them chords.
Since yesterday (so funny) I believed that to compose a track (I love ...
2
votes
4answers
95 views
Use of chord progression while playing melody by ear
I have a basic question regarding chord progression in Piano. I usually play songs by ear. Once I develop the melody, I add the chords. Whichever chord sounds fit & within the key, I play that. ...
3
votes
1answer
130 views
1 to Flat-6 to 1 chord progression - Is this a Beethoven thing?
I was fooling around with a song the other day that opened with a C to Ab to C progression, and someone said that it was taken from some composition by Beethoven. Does anyone know if this is true, and ...
-1
votes
2answers
83 views
Why is the fifth chord a dominant 7? And if it is a dominant 7, why most of the songs use just D major along with G and not D7?
He says here that D7 is the fifth chord in the key of G. Still in most songs and places, you'll see D being used instead of D7 along with G.
2
votes
4answers
358 views
What is the best way to learn to play songs by ear using chord patterns?
Is there a simple technique to construct or memorize chord pattern of a song If I know the main chord of a song? Also, how to guess the next chord while playing a song. Specially with a guitar.
I ...
3
votes
1answer
344 views
Which scale(s) to use over chord progressions
I have been reading/learning a lot of theory, recently, and whilst this is certainly a good thing, it has left me asking more and more questions.
Take, for example, the following chord progression:
...
2
votes
2answers
250 views
How to solo over “endless” progression like Alice's Restaurant?
Alice's Restaurant is basically
C A D G C
With most of the chords going to a dominant 7. Is there a name for this type of progression? What is a good strategy for soloing over this type of ...
4
votes
3answers
82 views
What's the correct analysis of this harmonic sequence at the end of the first movement of Dvorak's Fourth Symphony?
I've been puzzling over the best way to analyse the chords that occur at the end of the First Movement of Dvorak's Symphony No. 4 in D minor Op. 13. The passage is definitely part of a harmonic ...
5
votes
3answers
527 views
Use of the VI and v chord in a minor key, subdominant and dominant functional use?
I have a couple of questions related to chord function in natural minor. I have been playing around with chord functions and how they relate to each other. The first chord I am confused by is the ...
2
votes
1answer
31 views
Analyzing Hisaishi Joe's “The Bygone Days” 2
The song is in D Maj
I can't understand how that B Maj at bar 12 came out
G maj7(IV), A(V) then B maj (VI) ?
How does this work ?
0
votes
2answers
63 views
Analyzing Ryuichi Sakamoto's “Self Portrait”
Listen From 00:56
The [E] part is in C Major key
and I can't understand the C#m7-5 chord at bar 3
what is this chord ?
Where did it come from? and what is its function ?
0
votes
2answers
89 views
Chord A7 in piano
I attach a picture with an A7 chord in piano splitted as shown un the picture. Now I know the regular A7 chord is A,C#,E,G. Why was splitted like that in picture (using in treble cleff B,C# and F and ...
